All of Me
by angelfan5589
Summary: Orphaned at five years old, Sakura is taken in by Pein and grows up with the Akatsuki, there she meets Itachi. In the years that follow, the two Shinobi start to realize their growing feelings for each other by overcoming obstacles and deceptions. But, Itachi will ultimately have to choose between a life with Sakura and death by Sasuke's hands. Itachi/Sakura Future lemons. AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is an AU fic. Itachi is five years older than Sakura.**

**This story is just an idea that I had, at first I was thinking of an Itachi/Sakura/Kakashi fanfiction but I realized how it would get very confusing and so I decided to make two stories with the same general beginning. Sakura was orphaned and found by Pein when she was five years old. Growing up with the Akatsuki, Sakura becomes a strong Kunoichi, she's not officially a part of the Akatsuki but she does eventually go on missions and do things for them. Itachi must choose between a life with Sakura or death by Sasuke's hand. :D Please read and review.**

**You know how you write something and then a month or even years later you read it again and you realize there were a billion and one mistakes? Well it just happened to me so I revised this chapter. Not enough to change anything pertaining to the plot.**

* * *

It was one of the few times he was alone, Konan had recently come down with something and so she chose to stay behind at one of the many Akatsuki bases. It was the later part of the day, when the sun wasn't as high but it wasn't quite sunset yet. That didn't change the fact that it was very hot due to the summer season. Pein was on his way back from a solo mercenary mission and was taking his time getting back to base, even going so far as to take a main road instead of keeping to the shadows of the forest. He wasn't in any rush as Konan was on her way to recovery and she had a few Jounin as attendants at her beck and call.

About halfway to base, he noticed a plain overturned carriage, only meant for a few people. A dead horse was on its side, killed by a barrage of arrows. A male figure was lying face down in a pool of drying blood, not yet coagulated and a female figure was beside him, one hand on his and the other on the wooden carriage. The female had pink hair. The only reason Pein noticed or even acknowledged this fact was because it was such an unusual hair color.

Ransacked, the carriage was most likely attacked by thieves. As Pein got closer to the carnage he noted that the two dead figures were dressed as civilians. They were no match for a surprise attack from organized thieves who were probably lying in wait.

After about two miles, Pein saw another figure, this time he couldn't tell whether it was female or male but he or she was small, just a child. As he made his way towards the person he noticed pink hair and dirt, grime, and drops of blood on their clothing. Based on the fact that the child wore a red sundress, it was safe to assume it was a girl. Pein paused next to her, and was surprised to find she was still alive. The girl couldn't be more than 6 years old but with his rinnegan he saw that she had a substantial amount of chakra, whether she could use that chakra was another matter. The child was face up, beads of sweat on her face, and she was panting from exhaustion. She also had tear stains down to her cheeks, and marks from where she had wiped them away. Looking at the pink hair Pein immediately connected her to the two dead civilians and the carriage. Sadly, he couldn't help but remember his parents, who were murdered as well. Not exactly in the same circumstances but it was close enough for the haunting memory to rise up to the forefront of his mind. Two Konoha Shinobi broke into his home looking for food; his parents had died trying to protect him.

He was briefly contemplating whether or not to help her when she suddenly turned over, her breathing a little more even and proceeded to crawl away from him. He watched her silently to see how far she would go on crawling. The sun was setting and with it the temperature started dropping, soon it would be nightfall, and the closest town was Konoha, another three miles down the road. Letting her get a head start, Pein silently followed her and again, to his surprise, instead of getting weaker, her chakra actually increased and after a few yards, she got back on shaking legs and began walking, half stumbling.

* * *

The only thought passing her mind was about getting away, getting farther, and living on. After fleeing the scene of her parents' murder, she ran towards the direction of Konoha, hoping that she would make it to the Village Hidden in the Leaves before running into anymore thieves or before nightfall. It wasn't long before her short legs started to tire and she was forced to walk. Eventually, even that proved too much of an exertion and she collapsed in the middle of the road due to the heat of the sun. She didn't know how far she had travelled and she contemplated using the trees as a cover in case she did happen to meet someone. However, getting lost in the woods was far more dangerous as she needed to follow the road and she needed the level ground to make the journey easier and faster.

She laid there, barely conscious. But she had no time to rest. With no means to keep warm or start a fire; she couldn't survive a night in the forest. On sheer force of will, she made up her mind to start crawling. Her parents gave up their lives for her; she wouldn't make that sacrifice be in vain. As she went farther, she could feel a rejuvenating energy inside of her that made standing possible again, and not long after that, she noticed a figure standing two feet in front of her. Stopping abruptly, she looked up at him or her, afraid that all of her efforts were for nothing. The figure was too tall and too close for her to see the persons face but she noticed that he or she was wearing a black cloak with red clouds. Stepping back a little, she saw that the person had short orange hair, but the cloak had a high collar that from her vantage point, she couldn't see the persons face.

Slowly, the unknown figure knelt, one knee lower than the other and she saw that it was a male in front of her. The orange haired man had many piercings and odd eyes; they didn't have the whites like normal eyes. All in all, he was quite intimidating and very scary looking but his appearance wasn't what scared the young girl the most. The hitai-ate he wore had four straight vertical lines and one straight horizontal line through all of them. The man before her was a Shinobi and she knew enough to recognize that it wasn't the hitai-ate for Konoha and that he wasn't just any Shinobi but a missing-nin.

"What is your name girl?" His voice came out evenly, with no trace of emotion or sympathy.

It took her a second to process the question through her fear and exhaustion. "H-Haruno Sakura." Her voice cracked from not speaking for hours and from dehydration. Swaying a little on her feet, she bit the inside of her mouth to stay conscious, the energy she once felt disappearing due to the shock, her concentration and determination disrupted.

"How old are you Haruno Sakura?"

"I'm five years old." Wasn't the missing-nin supposed to kill her now or something? It was very odd to be having a conversation with someone who probably had no qualms about killing people.

"Do you have any family?"

"Not anymore." Darkness fell over her face, her green eyes hardened.

"Well then, Sakura, would you like to come with me?"Her eyes widened with shock.

"Who are you missing-nin san?" Sakura knew a few things from this encounter. Her parents and the neighbors used to say that she was intelligent for a child her age, not quite a genius or anything like that but just more observant and analytical than an average five year old should be. She knew that, one; she couldn't go much farther towards Konoha. Two, this person was offering to help her and let her stay with him. Three, he seemed to be levelheaded and polite, not a killing machine like some people said missing-nin were. Four, she really didn't have anyone left. No extended family and even though he was undoubtedly dangerous and always in danger, being a missing-nin also meant that he was strong. He wouldn't die and leave her alone, not without some sort of intense fight, which meant…which meant…

"You may call me Nagato."

"I-I will go with you Nagato-san." …She didn't have to be alone anymore.

Nagato-san wasn't evil like how everyone said missing-nin were. He offered to help her in her time of need. The evil ones were the thieves who stole from her; they stole her goods, food, the lives of her parents, as well as her innocent outlook on life. The evil ones were the ninja of Konoha who needed to be paid in order to have protection during a trip. Nagato and the Akatsuki weren't evil, not to Sakura.

* * *

For the next three years, Nagato-san or Pein-sama as she later started calling him became an older brother or even a father figure to Sakura. On his spare time, he would teach her jutsu after jutsu and she would practice all of them until it met his standards. It took a while to get used to becoming a Kunoichi and to get used to the people in the Akatsuki. While most of them were pleasant, there were a few members who Sakura avoided as much as she could. For example, Orochimaru and Kakuzu were very creepy. Sasori warmed up to her eventually, Kisame simply teased her a lot but surprisingly meant well, and Konan became an older sister or mother figure.

Pein noticed her strong points were in chakra control and hand sign, her genjutsu was good as well, mostly due to her intelligence. Under Pein's teachings, at eight years of age, Sakura would have been out of the academy and would have been made a Genin. When he first brought the petite girl to one of the many Akatsuki bases, she was reserved and distant to everyone, even attendants except for Pein. It was odd to have someone depend on him so completely after so long. He watched Konan's back and others looked to him for direction but Sakura was different. He could see how she latched onto him and in turn latched onto his ideals and visions of the future.

Pein even recalled an instance when she was seven years old when she told him that she wanted to see his peaceful world and that she would help him achieve that world. Even though she was strong for her age, she wasn't officially a member of the Akatsuki, she didn't wear the robes nor did she have a ring. Instead, she wore a red, sleeveless qipao dress with black circular designs, black shorts, and sandals. She also had a belt with pouches for her scrolls, kunai, shuriken, and senbon. Letting her hair grow out a little more, Sakura braided her pink locks, letting it fall to the middle of her back. The only thing on her person that would tie her to the Akatsuki was a small, black, round pendant, at its center a red cloud. Konan had presented it to her for her second year with the Akatsuki.

Sakura never went on missions and to be honest, she was tired of waiting for Pein to let her go on one. She was tired of staying in one base after another, practicing day in and day out with a copy of herself or with an Akatsuki member. Sakura knew the difference between their powers but field experience was important as well. She wanted the chance to prove herself and to be of some use to Pein.

So, it wasn't her fault with the restlessness got to her and she snuck out of the compound. She didn't know where she was going but the fresh air and the wind hitting her face as she ran through the forest was something foreign to her. Getting a new idea, Sakura used her chakra control in order to scale a nearby tree and proceeded to leap from branch to branch. It started out slow and she had stumbled quite a bit but her nervousness turned to exhilaration at being in the air.

Soon an hour had passed since she left the compound, her pink braid whipping in the air. Stopping abruptly mid leap, Sakura put her hands on the tree for balance.

Her ears perking, she heard a commotion a mile or so to her right. Masking her chakra, she decided to sneak over and see what was going on, it wasn't that far from the base and it could be something bad so her curiosity got the better of her. Performing the necessary hand signs, Sakura whispered "Meisaigakure no Jutsu" camouflaging herself seamlessly with her surrounding area, she made her way down to the small explosion.

From her vantage point Sakura saw four men fighting against one opponent. The four had Iwagakure hitai-ate while the figure fighting on their own had no hitai-ate, and wore a mask. Judging by the unruly white hair, Sakura guessed it must be a Shinobi and not a Kunoichi. He had a black swirling tattoo on his left arm and also seemed to have a katana sheathed on his back but didn't use it, even with three opponents surrounding him.

She silently watched the fight unfold; the forest wasn't as dense in this area and it seemed as though the lone Shinobi was handling everything just fine. Sakura watched as he fluidly avoided the shuriken hurled his way in midair. One Iwagakure Shinobi was strictly long distance, moving constantly around the surrounding area in order to catch the person off guard.

The other three engaged the Shinobi with taijutsu and ninjutsu. To be perfectly honest, it seemed like a stalemate, shuriken and kunai littered the forest floor while the four figures kept on fighting at close range. They were all highly skilled, probably all Jounin and not only that, the Iwagakure Shinobi had the advantage of numbers. Whenever the white haired Shinobi would get close to taking one down, the others would intervene and drag on the fight. It seemed as though they were all trying to stall for time. The Iwagakure Shinobi were probably waiting for him to make a mistake or run out of chakra but it didn't explain why he was trying to draw out the fight as well.

Eventually Sakura's green eyes were simply watching the white haired male, not focusing on anything else. He moved easily, dodging, flipping, and attacking. Sakura couldn't keep her eyes off of him. At first she assumed he was old, but the agility he possessed proved he couldn't be an old man.

Suddenly, the long distance Shinobi appeared a few trees in front of her. She quickly grabbed a kunai from its pouch, making a show of twirling it and briefly contemplated helping the white haired Shinobi. However, in doing so, it would probably alert the others to her presence. Not only that, but her only purpose was to observe the fight, not pick a side. It was highly unlikely that they knew where the Akatsuki base was, it was simply luck that the Shinobi happened upon the same general area.

Sakura was saved from having to make a decision when a figure with a now familiar tuft of white hair appeared behind the Rock-nin and slit his throat with a kunai. Grabbing the back of his collar, the Shinobi kept the dead body from falling to the forest floor. She hadn't even seen the Shinobi make the necessary hand signs for a shadow clone. He then turned to her and she instinctively took a step back in surprise. He seemed to look straight at her; she stared back at the oddly designed mask and quickly checked to see that she was still completely camouflaged. Sakura hadn't made any noise or movement except for the initial step back so there was no way for him to be looking at her. She watched as he then seemed to look down at the branch she was on. Following his supposed line of sight, Sakura looked at the footprint she had just left behind on the wet moss.

Panicking, Sakura threw the kunai in her hand and started making hand signs. As the mist started reducing visibility, she used that as a distraction and turned, leaping through the forest once more. Her camouflage jutsu gone, she needed to be quick in order to get away. Moving as fast as she could, Sakura forced more chakra into her feet and legs. She was moving so quickly that she felt her brain rattle when she was snatched from the air, her captor leaping in another direction. Looking up at the persons face, Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she held. She was literally hanging on the arm of Pein, his appendage wrapped around her abdomen.

Then, after a teleportation jutsu, Sakura and Pein were in an Akatsuki meeting place. It was a temple of sorts; she'd only been there once, when Pein took her to meet the Akatsuki members. After being set down on her feet, Sakura looked up at Pein, his face betraying no emotion; she looked into his Rinnegan eyes and felt both guilt and inadequacy.

A tense pause passed before she found her words. "I apologize, Pein-sama. I-I snuck out of the compound. Not only that but I put myself in a compromising position…" trailing off, Sakura stiffened, waiting for his response. While she wasn't a hostage, Pein and Konan had both told her multiple times not to leave any Akatsuki base without an Akatsuki member accompanying her.

"Sakura, you mustn't take this too personally. You're just not ready to be out by yourself."

"I understand, Pein-sama." Of course she didn't. She was an eight year old Kunoichi who couldn't participate in any missions. It was frustrating and it made her doubt everything she'd accomplished so far. Seeing an unknown Jounin up close was…terrifying. It made her forget that she was camouflaged and therefore couldn't be seen. She'd acted in a way that was unbecoming of a Kunoichi let alone someone affiliated with the Akatsuki.

After an extended pause, Pein broke the silence. "I have a present for you." Opening the black cloak a little, he reached in to grab a small black book. Sakura's face brightened as she eagerly accepted the present. It was a habit of almost everyone in the Akatsuki to give Sakura something after a long period apart. It was in order to keep her happy and occupied while everyone else went on missions.

"Thank you Nagato-san!" Her green eyes sparkled in excitement. Pein knew how much she liked to study so books and trinkets were what he usually gave her.

"It's a Bingo Book. It details the notable Shinobi and missing-nin, as well as the price of their bounties."

"So the members are in here?" Sakura was torn between excited and worried. The members of the Akatsuki were her only friends and some, she considered her new family. If any of them were to die…

"Our new member should be here soon." His voice snapped her out of her musings as the prospect of a new member eased her worries somewhat. It only meant that the Akatsuki was growing stronger. Pein's attention moved to the open double doors, where the sunlight was shining brightly outside while the inside of the temple was dark from the lack of windows.

Knowing the value of patience was one thing. Being an impatient eight year-old with little to do was another. Sakura plopped down on the wooden flood and sat cross legged, the Bingo Book in her lap. It wasn't very big, a testament to how few ninja were truly considered elite and worth the page. Even if missing-nin were put in the Bingo Book, a weak one would be quickly eliminated and so had no use for a page. Sakura started flipping through it, thinking to read it more thoroughly later.

After reading the information on Kisame, Sasori, Pein, Orochimaru, and Kakuzu, Sakura had a better understanding of the power difference between herself and the Akatsuki. Feeling even more inadequate, she was distracted from her thoughts when a picture drew her eye. The male had white hair, a mask that covered most of his face, as well as a Konoha hitai-ate that covered his left eye. She could only see his right eye, half of his right cheek, as well as the bridge of his nose. The white hair was what drew her attention the most; it was exactly like the hair of the masked Shinobi she had seen earlier.

**Hatake Kakashi AKA Copy Ninja Kakashi and Kakashi of the Sharingan**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**Ninja Rank: Jounin**

**Only son of Hatake Sakumo, the "White fang of Konoha". Technique specialist of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi has copied over one thousand jutsu with the use of the Sharingan in his left eye. The sharingan allows him to see through any deception, give hypnotic suggestions, perform genjutsu, and predict his opponent's movements. He has an affinity towards lightning techniques and is able to summon ninken.**

**Price: 45 million ryo**

Stunned by the high price on his head, Sakura wondered just how strong the Shinobi was. The Akatsuki members were worth about the same amount but they were rogue-nin, every village must be at least a little concerned about their motives and want them dead. She was once again snapped out of her thoughts by three poofs as Orochimaru, Kisame, and Sasori appeared next to Pein. Looking up at them from her spot next to Pein, Sakura held back a shiver at seeing Orochimaru. She stood up and squeezed herself in between Kisame and Sasori. Sasori never showed himself while outside of an Akatsuki base and in turn, never used a puppet to pose as himself in an Akatsuki base so it was her first time seeing his puppet armor Hiruko. Looking at the black and red Akatsuki robes, Sakura again felt out of place amongst the renowned and feared ninja.

"Hey, the runt's here."

"Hello kisame-san, Sasori-san! Do you have a present for me as well? Pein-sama got me a Bingo Book!" As if she needed to prove the claim, Sakura proudly held up the black book in front of her with two hands.

Kisame looked down at the adopted pink haired 'runt'. He had to admit, she grew on him. Mainly because she wasn't an annoying little snot and because she didn't seem to be offended or disgusted by the way that he looked. In fact, she didn't seem to care that he resembled a shark and had blue skin. "Well, runt, I have something for you but I didn't think I'd run into you today."

"But-but, Kisame-san, a ninja must be prepared for anything!" She was partly whining and partly teasing Kisame back for calling her a runt. However, she had to admit it was better than being labeled as fish-bait; especially coming from a shark faced ninja.

"Battle, yes. Presents? Not so much." Kisame seemed to enjoy the argument with the little Kunoichi while Sasori calmly took out a miniature puppet of himself from the inside of his cloak; it was complete with red hair and an Akatsuki cloak.

"Thank you Sasori-san! See? He's prepared for anything." Because Hiruko was always hunched over quite a bit, Sakura was able to hug the puppet in place of Sasori while giving Kisame a pointed look. In the meantime, Orochimaru took the vacated spot next to Pein and paid little attention to the trio. Orochmaru and Kakuzu were the only Akatsuki members that didn't talk or approach Sakura and so never got her any presents.

For the next twenty minutes, Pein and Orochimaru stood stoically, waiting for the new member while Sasori started teaching Sakura how to control the puppet using her chakra. Sakura was starting to get the hang of it and soon had the puppet spinning and jumping.

"Our new member has now arrived." Pein said. Sakura immediately stood straighter and looked at the open doors and to the Shinobi now walking into the temple. Sakura looked at his clothes first, since he was looking at the ground and noticed that it was the same outfit that Kakashi wore when he was fighting the Rock-nin. When he looked up at them, Sakura saw the Konoha hitai-ate, already marked with a horizontal scratch. He had a high collar which blocked the bottom half of his face for her but she could see his red eyes.

Next to Pein, Orochimaru's eyes widened when he recognized the Shinobi by the Sharingan "Uchiha Itachi!"

"Yes. Uchiha Itachi has agreed to join Akatsuki. He is to be your partner, Kisame." Sakura wondered if Itachi was a very famous ninja and why Orochimaru seemed so excited.

"Yes, leader."

"Welcome, Itachi, when we get to the base, you will receive your Akatsuki cloak and ring. Come, Sakura." Itachi simply nodded to show his understanding.

"Yes, Pein-sama." Following behind Pein, Sakura rushed to match his long strides. Orochimaru left quickly since there was now no reason to dawdle. Sakura turned around and waved to Kisame and Sasori.

"See you later Kisame-san! Don't forget, a ninja must be prepared for anything! Thank you Sasori-san!" Placing the puppet and Bingo Book in one of her pouches, Sakura turned towards Itachi, who was waiting for Pein to lead the way.

* * *

Itachi was surprised to see such a young girl with the Akatsuki. She seemed to be at ease around them and didn't seem to fear them at all. She almost reached his shoulder, making her around Sasuke's height.

Sakura, as Pein called her, was a very fitting name for the girl, not only because of her pink hair but the life that she had. It was actually quite amusing to see her bouncing around next to Pein and looking around the forest constantly. Itachi chose to lag behind and simply observe the two of them. Pein seemed less tense and while he gave no outward emotion towards Sakura, it was apparent to Itachi's observant eyes that he cared for the girl.

After about a mile or so, Sakura purposely started walking slower to match Itachi's stride. Walking beside him, she looked up at the mysterious new member of the Akatsuki. "Um…my name is Sakura. Pleased to meet you Itachi-san." Smiling up at him, Itachi looked down at her in acknowledgement of her greeting.

He waited for any fear or discomfort in her expression but found none. Even with the Sharingan on, the girl didn't show any hostility or distrust towards him which was perplexing.

"How old are you?"

"I'm eight now!" Itachi felt a stab in his heart when he heard that she was the same age as his little brother but he made sure there was no change in his demeanor.

"And you're a Kunoichi?"

"Yup! Pein-sama said that I improved a lot!"

"I see. Which village do you come from Sakura?" He noted that she didn't give a last name, nor did she have a hiai-ate on her person, she hadn't been a Genin yet when she either left or was taken from her village.

"I consider Amegakure my village. Itachi-san, the outfit you're wearing, do all Shinobi from Konoha wear that now?"

"No, only ANBU operatives wear this gear." At her quizzical expression, he decided to elaborate. "It's short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai."

"How old are you Itachi-san?"

"I'm thirteen."

"That makes you the closest to my age!"

"Hn."

"You're even younger than Kabuto-nii. I think he's fourteen or fifteen now but he's not an Akatsuki member. He helps Sasori-san and is our medic. He's been teaching me the basics of medical jutsu."

"Hn."

"You're gonna like it with the Akatsuki. Everyone is really fun to be around…well, almost everyone. I think Kakuzu-san and Orochimaru-san are kind of scary to be around for long periods of time but otherwise, Sasori-san, Kisame-san, Pein-sama, and Konan-san are very helpful and nice. They give me presents." She looked up at Itachi with a bright smile as Itachi listened to her rambling. "Kisame-san should be a really good partner; he's strong and likes to fight, even though he looks like a giant sardine. But don't tell him I said that, it's payback for calling me a runt. I'm not a runt though, well, compared to him I might be a little small but when I get bigger and stronger I'm going to help Pein-sama and become an Akatsuki member!" When he learned that the little girl wanted to be an Akatsuki member, Itachi wondered just how she came to be with the organization. She was loyal to them and she didn't appear to care that they were made of criminals.

"Sakura. Why are you with the Akatsuki?" Gauging her reaction as well as Pein's, he noticed that Pein stiffened up a little and slowed his speed slightly. Sakura on the other hand had a bigger change in her demeanor. Stopping abruptly, it took her a split second to start walking again.

Looking down this time, she seemed to be thinking of something. "Pein-sama helped me. Even though they say they'll protect people, they only do so when they're paid. They're greedy and selfish. They don't think about the people who can't afford their services. At least missing-nin don't lie like that. Pein-sama has been more truthful to me than any of the village ninja."

"And which village did you come from?" Earlier she had said she considered Amegakure her village but she didn't have the air of hostility she did now. He didn't know why he was taking such an interest in her, he could see that it wasn't a good memory and that he shouldn't be asking such questions but he couldn't help it.

It was a whisper and Itachi had to strain to hear it even though he was standing right next to her. "Konoha."

* * *

Pein was surprised that she would tell Itachi that piece of information. It took her a full year before she told Pein and Konan where she had come from, too scared that they would abandon her near her village.

"Sakura."

"Yes, Pein-sama?" Changing her emotions yet again, Sakura ran up to Pein, old memories buried once more. She didn't remember all of the details but she could still see in her mind's eye, her parents' death. She could also remember Pein as he offered to take her with him. But she didn't remember the long trek, only that she was tired. She didn't remember the faces of the thieves, only the blood and her mother's face as she tried to save Sakura.

"Go on ahead and inform them we are coming. It should be a manageable distance for you now. Let's see how fast you can travel."

"Yes, Pein-sama!" Giggling, Sakura ran up ahead and straight up a tree, giving one last look back she took off.

"I want you to train her, Itachi. She has a lot of potential and would be an asset to the Akatsuki in the future." Itachi was the best choice out of the Akatsuki to train Sakura, his extensive knowledge of ninjutsu and genjutsu were obviously valuable and his intelligence would allow him to effectively determine her strong points and weak points. Not only that, but their age difference was close enough that they would both be comfortable with each other. Itachi was also calm and levelheaded enough that he wouldn't kill Sakura by accident, a concern he had whenever Kisame tried to teach her something.

"Yes, leader." Pein was still in front of Itachi so he stopped and turned around. Itachi stopped as well, a foot or two between them.

"And Itachi, she's taken a liking to you, which means the next time you go on a mission and come back, it would be a good idea to give her a present. Or she'll try to keep you from leaving the next time. Her tactics can get…intense."

The rest of the trip was in silence which was perfectly comfortable for the two Shinobi.

* * *

**I have a general outline of the next chapter but I also need to think of some scenes involving Itachi and Sakura so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to give me your two cents.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sakura: 8**  
**Itachi: 13**

**Sorry I've taken so long to upload. I hope you haven't forgotten about me or the story it's just that I've had quite a few computer problems, that and school has kept me busy. I also lost the second chapter I was originally going to post so I had to start from scratch. I was going to post the chapter yesterday but I realized the chapter was far too short to make up for my absence.**

**As always, Naruto and its characters are not mine. Reviews are greatly appreciated. I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and enjoy!**

* * *

Itachi had spent the past 4 weeks training Sakura until she was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. Stating she was far too slow for anything else, Itachi made it his mission to first increase her speed. Choosing to blindfold her instead of using weights, Itachi attacked in patterns from simple to complex. Once she picked up on whatever pattern he used, Itachi would make his attacks more elaborate, attacking and then countering whatever she threw at him. Next, he attacked with little to no sound and in unpredictable movements. Itachi only used taijutsu while allowing Sakura to incorporate anything that she learned but it didn't help her against the far superior ninja.

Eventually he allowed her to train without the blindfold to gauge how much she had improved. While she was still no match for him, her hand signs, reaction time, and speed vastly improved.

After their two hour training session, Sakura fell backwards onto the grass as her chest heaved with each panting breath that she took and the sun dipped below the horizon. Itachi appeared next to her in an instant and she stared up into his dark red eyes with no fear or concern. Smiling broadly, she regained the ability to breathe normally and sat up with her hair disheveled; her clothes ripped and stained with small specks of blood and mud.

"Thank you Itachi-san!" Sitting next to her, Itachi's nodded, acknowledging her gratitude.

Sakura had slowly grown on him through the 4 weeks that he trained her. She was always eager to learn, didn't complain about anything he put her through and she trusted him. In the childlike innocence he only experienced with Sasuke, she trusted him to keep her safe.

Pein thought that Sakura took to Itachi quickly due to their shared origins and proximity in age and he had to agree. Based on what he observed about her interactions with the other Akatsuki members, Sakura genuinely liked Kisame, Konan, Sasori, and Pein and she did her best to avoid the other Akatsuki members.

"Itachi-san, Pein-sama told me that you were going on a mission." Peaking at him with her head slightly turned, Sakura placed her hands in her lap and started to subtly pick at the hem of her shirt. "Do you know when you'll be back?"

"We'll only be gone for two weeks." The older boy watched her from the corner of his eye, not realizing just how interesting he found her until now. She was far too obvious with her emotions and it was oddly warming to have someone worry about him. With his abilities, no one doubted his leadership or expressed any type of concern when he went on a mission.

He already knew what was on her mind, Sakura never asked for anything from him, probably because she felt he didn't care for her. She was right; he had only trained her because Pein had asked. He liked her presence but if she were to die, he had no emotional attachments to her and he wasn't responsible for her. But she cared, after spending 6 hours a day together; she grew accustomed to his presence.

Itachi also knew that she wanted presents from the other Akatsuki members because she wanted a reminder of them while they were away on dangerous missions. It was obvious by the way she only asked those she liked for presents and by the way everyone accommodated her so easily. To his knowledge, Sakura didn't have anything from her parents or from Konohagakure. But Itachi didn't want to be remembered after he died, he had a plan and he was going to follow through with it.

After a long pause, Sakura got up and bowed before sprinting back to the base, her pink hair bouncing behind her. Deciding to do some training of by himself, Itachi only gave her a passing glance before going deeper into the forest. He needed to be prepared for tomorrow, he would have a short training session with Kisame before departing for the reconnaissance mission.

.

.

.

Back in the house, Sakura went up to her room to shower, careful not to leave a trail of dirt behind her, she closed her door and started pulling off the stained clothes as she walked into the adjacent bathroom. Pein had gone to great lengths in order to place her between Sasori to her left, Kisame to her right, and Itachi just around the corner. The more violent and dangerous members were on a different floor, far enough for Sakura to feel comfortable living in the Akatsuki base.

Emerging from her shower refreshed and clean, she noticed small bruises from her training with Itachi and went to the large tomb on her desk. Flipping through the musty book, she scanned the page she was looking for and concentrated on bringing her chakra to her hand. Once she achieved a light green tint, she rubbed her hand over the small wounds, healing them completely before relaxing. The medical book was a gift from Kabuto after his first year with the Akatsuki, he said it was better to be an advanced medic with no other skills than an advanced ninja with no medical skills. She'd only nodded at that, not understanding his reasoning but since there was no one to teach her taijutsu and genjutsu, she studied medical jutsu with Kabuto from time to time.

With her near perfect chakra control and intelligence exceeding her years, she had advanced enough to do simple work with the help of a book. With no patients however, it was hard to truly gauge her abilities. The Akatsuki members rarely arrived with severe wounds and the insignificant wounds they might have were never looked at by the medics. Closing the large book, Sakura looked at the other gifts the Akatsuki had given her, from the hair pins from Konan to the puppets from Sasori, they each had a significance to her. They were from her special people, her loved ones, and the only ones she trusted. The few times she left the bases, she steered clear of other people and instead usually sat on Sasori's puppet, keeping to herself.

Picking up the wooden Sasori puppet, Sakura jumped on her bed and sat cross legged. "I hope Itachi-san doesn't think I'm a bother. But I think he's one of my special people. Like you, Sasori-san. He's been really nice to me…but he's never said anything nice. Actually, he doesn't talk much. He speaks even less than you." Letting chakra strings flow from her fingertips, she controlled the red haired puppet into nodding. "I wish you would hurry back as well, I'm missing the puppet of Kisame-san that you promised me. Then, I'll just need an Itachi-san puppet in order to complete the collection! But don't worry about bringing Orochimaru-san with you, he scares me." Smiling, she used her other hand to create chakra strings to latch onto the doll of her. Complete with pink hair, she made the two dolls dance and fake spar in the air, all the while thinking of how to get Itachi to like her

.

.

..

Making her way downstairs for dinner, Sakura smiled politely to Sasori's subordinates who were in the process of finishing and plating the food. Passing the kitchen to the dining room, she rushed over to the open seat next to Kisame and looked up at Kirigakure ninja.

"Good evening Kisame-san!" After his slight nod, she continued undeterred. "Don't forget my souvenir from your mission with Itachi-san." As if uttering his name had somehow summoned him, Itachi came in through the door, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead but otherwise was no different from the last time she saw him. Pein and Konan had left earlier in the month so it was just the three of them for dinner. Itachi sat quietly as he always did.

"Don't expect much brat, we won't be around any villages during our mission. Aren't the presents we gave you the past three years enough?"

"It's never enough Kisame-san!" Sakura moved her hands off the table to allow space for the Jounin to place the plate of food in front of her. "Would you rather not get me anything and leave me here with books on ninjutsu and medical jutsu? There are no children my age to play with around here and if I get bored I suppose I could go to a nearby village and play with the children there…" She let the implications of that hang as she took a small bite.

"You're too evil to be an 8 year old. You know it's pretty much a requirement from leader that we give you stuff." With an insufferable sigh, Kisame took a large bite off his plate and nodded his defeat. If something were to happen to Sakura, he shuddered to think what Pein and Konan would do to them and to those responsible.

Smiling brightly, Sakura nodded eagerly and resumed her meal. She knew Kisame meant well and was only teasing her like she was doing to him. It was a hollow threat as she would never leave the Akatsuki for anything. Even the chance to play with other children was unappealing to her compared to the joy she found with the Akatsuki members. Itachi on the other hand silently polished off his plate and excused himself. Sakura watched him leave, disappointed that he was still so cold. Her expression didn't get past Kisame.

"Something you wanted to say to Itachi? Don't know if you should try to get close to him squirt."

"When I get big Kisame-san, I'll make you regret calling me those names. I'll have you know that I'm big for my age." Puffing out her chest, she half scowled at him.

"Yeah and how would you know you're not small for your age?" Grumbling at that, Sakura returned to her meal and muttered something like meanie face.

After dinner, Sakura went to the library to research any way to keep Itachi at the compound. She was okay with Kisame, Pein, Konan, and Sasori leaving for missions but for some reason the thought of being away from Itachi sent a sharp pain to her chest. She knew him the least but he seemed…lonely. She knew loneliness. She had experienced it every day in her village. Her parents were civilians and were looked down upon by the aristocratic and the Shinobi. Sakura was also teased mercilessly for her lower status or forher pink hair. A day didn't go by that she wasn't reminded of the two things that made her different. Itachi's loneliness called to her and in her naive mind, she wanted desperately to be his friend.

Pouring over the texts, Sakura looked for anything to bind a person to a room or a scroll of some kind to keep a person in. She had a day to figure something out as Kisame and Itachi were to spend the next day training together and forming a plan for their mission. Soon her small, tired eyes started drooping and the words in the book blurred as her head fell on top of them.

* * *

Abruptly waking to the sound of stomping, Sakura looked around to get her bearings. She was still in the library and judging by the sunlight shining through the open window; it was about 8 in the morning. Just in time for some breakfast. Rubbing her eyes, she cleared her throat hoping to get the traces of sleep out of her vocal chords. Taking out a fresh scroll, Sakura leaned over the table to carefully write the necessary incantation. Smiling, Sakura held the scroll up for her inspection and lightly blew cool air on the drying ink.

Grinning in delight, Sakura carefully rolled the paper up and placed it on the table before cleaning up after herself. Tucking the scroll in the waistband of her pants, she opened the door cautiously and stepped out from the library. Seeing no one around, the lively eight year old ran to her room as she attempted to keep her footsteps light. Turning a corner, Sakura hit a solid barricade and flew backwards, landing unceremoniously on her hip. Rubbing her sore forehead and nose, she looked up at the black Akatsuki coat and silently prayed for the wearer not to be Orochimaru or Kakuzu. Letting her green eyes look up further, she immediately recognized Itachi by his black hair and Konoha hitai-ate. Rushing to her feet, the scroll slipped from her pants and rolled away from her. Thankfully, the scroll didn't unravel and instead came to a stop a few inches away. Picking it up quickly, Sakura smiled warmly at Itachi, hoping that he would ignore the scroll presently behind her back.

"I'm sorry Itachi-san; I was just trying to…good morning Itachi-san! Have you eaten yet?"

"Hn." Raising a brow at her, he stepped to the side to let her past him.

Hitting her head with her fist she watched Itachi's disappearing back and frowned. He was less talkative than usual. It saddened her to think that his conversations with her were only for the sake of training. Quickly swirling around, Sakura ran back the way she came and gripped his long sleeve, finding his hand underneath.

Stopping at her touch, Itachi looked down at the petite girl expectedly. When all she did was look back at him with a grin, he was forced to make the first move. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Itachi-san, are you going out to train with Kisame-san?"

"No, we're meeting leader first." She held his hand, her own disappearing under the sleeves of the Akatsuki coat.

"Can I come with you? I promise to be good. I just haven't seen Pein-sama in a while. I miss him." Her emerald orbs pleaded with him. What she said wasn't a lie…it was just that she wanted to spend more time with Itachi. He was going to be her friend and he was going to like her whether he wanted to or not. Stubborn to the end, Sakura gently pulled on his hand, awaiting his answer.

Nodding, Itachi allowed her request. He thought that she would release his hand after that but instead she kept her hold on him. It wasn't a bad experience, holding her hand, her hands were engulfed by his and the coat. He could also tell she tried not to sway their linked hands back and forth.

As the duo passed through the dining room, Sakura slipped her scroll back in the waistband of her pants and covered the bulge with her shirt. Waving to Kisame with her free hand, Sakura announced excitedly that she was going with them to meet "Pein-sama". Kisame, who was also in his Akatsuki coat looked at the space between Sakura and Itachi and then looked at Itachi. A sly smile reached his lips as Kisame grabbed Samehada.

"I see the brat got to you." Noticing that they didn't have their straw hats, Sakura squeezed Itachi's hand, hoping to get some kind of positive reaction.

Looking up at Itachi, who was focused only on the path in front of them, Sakura's face fell in disappointment. "Do you want me to let go of your hand Itachi-san?" Seeing Kisame was about to make a comment, Sakura frowned at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Hn." Was all he said but the hand Sakura was holding made no move to let hers go. The three walked leisurely for a few more minutes until Itachi spoke again, cutting through Kisame and Sakura's bickering. He had tuned them out but it was getting harder to ignore them as they started going back and forth about whether or not Sakura was a squirt. "If we're going to meet leader, we have to move faster. Sakura, stay close."

"Yes, Itachi-san." Reluctantly, Sakura let go of Itachi's warm hand and followed them up to the cover of the trees. Always just a little behind them, Sakura forced more chakra to her feet and kept up with their effortless pace. According to Kisame, the meeting point wasn't very far away as Pein and Konan had to pass through to get to their next destination.

Itachi picked up the pace slightly, wondering just how fast Sakura had gotten after their training together. Sakura followed suit, going faster, she leaped to the next branch with a sudden burst of speed and moved so that she was next to Itachi again. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she kept the flow of chakra to her feet constant. When Itachi once again increased his speed, Sakura glanced at Kisame who immediately did the same to keep up with his partner. Pushing herself even faster, Sakura was concentrating too hard to notice the scroll slip from her pants and fall to the forest floor.

Dropping down to their meeting point, Itachi landed without a sound. Kisame and Sakura landed next to him. The only sounds that were heard were that of Sakura's panting as she tried to get breath into her burning lungs.

"Wow, I didn't know you could move that fast. But then again, it's easy for the small ones to have speed."

"Kisame" Gasp. "San." Gasp. Regaining her composure, Sakura wiped the sweat off her brow and straightened her pink locks. "I'll have you know that I've gotten much faster thanks to Itachi-san. I promise, one day I'll be as fast as you and help out on missions when I get older."

Chuckling, Kisame patted her head, almost in a condescending way if not for his next words. "I have no doubt about that. Leader wouldn't have allowed you to live with the Akatsuki if he didn't think you had potential. But it would be difficult to find a partner who could put up with your demands."

"I won't need a partner. I'll be the one helping on missions. That way I can help all of you!"

"Sakura-chan, what a pleasant surprise." Sakura wouldn't have noticed Konan and Pein's arrival if it were not for Konan's soft voice causing her to whip her head around.

"Konan-san!" Rushing to the woman she considered her sister, Sakura smiled happily and gave her a hug. "I've missed you!" Laughing at her excitement, Konan lead Sakura away from the men, knelt to Sakura's eyelevel and slipped a small folding fan out from the depths of her coat.

"I've missed you as well Sakura-chan. Pein and I will be back at the base before you know it. This is for you." Handing the intricate silk fan to Sakura, Konan returned Sakura's smile and touched her long hair. "You've grown a bit since I saw you last. Has your training with Itachi gone well?"

Nodding, Sakura gratefully accepted the delicate fan with two hands. "Thank you Konan-san!" Unfolding the fan, Sakura's eyes widened at the detailed Sakura blossoms on the front and back. "It's so beautiful. Kisame-san said that my speed has increased and Kabuto-nii said that I'm learning medical jutsu quickly."

"That's great. I'm glad you're improving so much Sakura. Soon not even Pein can keep you from missions." Winking, Konan stood and lead Sakura back to the three men.

Sakura patiently waited for the four to conclude business so that she could greet Pein. Playing with her new fan, Sakura wondered if there was any way to utilize it with jutsu. She'd have to look it up back home. Finally, Pein handed Itachi a scroll and nodded to them. Sakura pressed herself next to Pein's leg and felt his hand brush her hair and rest on her back. Peering up at him, Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist from the side in a hug.

"I've missed you Pein-sama. I've learned the ninjutsu you assigned me." Proud of herself, Sakura grinned, fully prepared to prove herself if need be.

"I don't doubt that you did, Sakura. Itachi tells me that you trained very hard these past few weeks. When Konan and I return, you'll have to show me everything that you've learned. But for now, we need to continue the mission." Knowing that she understood, Pein handed her a small book and left only a small brush of wind behind as he and Konan took off.

"See Kisame-san? They understand." Holding her two new presents up to show the missing-nin, Sakura followed Itachi up to a tree branch.

"Alright, alright, I'll get you something on the next trip. Bossy brat." Too happy to be offended by his use of the word brat, Sakura kept up with Itachi and Kisame until she started overexerting herself.

Her breathing once again harsh, Sakura forced more and more chakra to her feet in order to stay beside Itachi's increasing speed. Deciding to give her a break, Itachi stopped roughly around where they started to speed up earlier. Itachi and Kisame dropped to the ground; both looked exactly the same as when they had started; without a drop of perspiration on them. Sakura, who had landed carefully on the balls of her feet was breathless, disheveled, and was clutching the gifts from Pein and Konan tightly to her heaving chest with one hand. The trip back was even shorter since Itachi immediately started with a high speed.

Any normal person would have avoided Itachi, he was a dangerous missing nin with a supposedly deadly kekkei genkai. However, Sakura all but skipped up to him and went back to holding his hand once more. From the stories she heard from the others and from reading about the kekkei genkai, Sakura was awed to know that the Sharingan allowed the wielder to memorize and identify any taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu.

Itachi didn't show any outward signs that his hand was once again captured by an eight year old. Instead, he started walking back to the Akatsuki base with Sakura on his right and Kisame on his left. He could tell that his partner was amused by Sakura's naivety. Even some of the Akatsuki members were wary around the Uchiha because of his abilities with the sharingan, which he kept up at all times.

Deep in thought, Sakura only spoke when she could see the Akatsuki base in the distance. "Itachi-san how many missions have you been on?"

"Hundreds." It was a simple answer as Itachi never bothered to keep count of how many missions he had been on. He knew the bulk of it was when he was promoted to ANBU but some of them weren't official missions.

"Have you ever been seriously injured on any of them?" The question drew a curious gaze from Kisame. He was surprised by the depth of her concern for Itachi even though she knew him for only a month.

"Hn." Sakura took that to mean yes but even as she looked up in the hopes of gaining some sort of visual confirmation, Itachi kept his gaze forward and Sakura could only see his hair due to the Akatsuki coat.

"Even with the sharingan?"

"Hn." Again taking the monosyllable answer as a yes, Sakura learned that the sharingan wasn't infallible and Itachi wasn't invincible. Well, no one was except for Pein in her mind.

"But Kisame-san doesn't know any medical jutstu. What if you get injured?" Sakura meant the statement as an insult to Kisame but the Monster of the Hidden Mist didn't take it as such.

"Sakura, I won't die on this mission, I assure you." As they drew closer to the base, Itachi was surprised at how far Sakura was going. It made him doubt whether or not it was a wise decision to let her hold his hand.

"How can you be so sure? Anything could happen on a mission." While Sakura had similar conversations with Kisame, Sasori, and Konan, she had never been so adamant the subject. It was mostly due to the fact that Itachi gave no comforting words and his matter of fact tone simply put her on edge.

"It's a simple enough mission and I will have Kisame with me. Do you doubt our abilities?"

Speechless at first, Sakura thought about it for a moment before replying. "…That's not it."

"Your concern for my health is unfounded then." Itachi spoke just in time as they reached the gates to the compound and Sakura eased her hand lifelessly from Itachi's coat and rushed inside.

"She simply cares too much. She has only attached herself to Pein and Konan this quickly." Kisame said flippantly, stating the obvious.

"She needs to learn not to care for a shinobi so much that they cannot do their duties. Her concern for our safety will only be damaging to her." Itachi replied as he continued his pace into the base. Itachi and Kisame mutually respected each other and their abilities which was a good start since they were officially partnered on their first mission. Since they were already prepared to fight, they went around the building so that they could train.

* * *

**Next chapter: Sakura's first attempt at trapping Itachi and Orochimaru's Defection!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sakura: 8**  
**Itachi: 13**

**:D I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story. Thank you for your support and feedback. It's great to know what you think. Just to answer some questions and concerns...**

**Challa: No, Sakura will not be 8 years old for long. I plan to have time jumps and little scenes here and there between Itachi and Sakura, plus the main events that occur with the Akatsuki.**

**Sakura022496: Yup, Itachi's an ass. But I promise, he won't be an ass for long. It was a necessary evil to overcome. I wanted him to be resistant to Sakura's charm. xD**

**ThorongilAnime: Yup, Kabuto-nii goes away in this chapter, but I added a scene with Sakura and Kabuto-nii. I hope you like it.**

**I'm debating whether or not to have Sakura involved with the chunin exams when she's 13. What do you think?**

* * *

Unfolding the fan she got from Konan, Sakura placed it next to the wall on her desk, behind Sasori's miniature Akatsuki puppets as a backdrop. Happily, Sakura opened the unassuming brown book Pein had gotten her. It was a fair sized book and was easy enough to carry around or place in a large vest compartment. The pages were new but the cover was obviously old and the warn leather was smooth as there wasn't anything written on it. Flipping through the pages, Sakura realized that the book detailed the many different types of exploding seals and their uses.

As the thought crossed her mind, her hand immediately flew to her side in search of the scroll she had written for Itachi. Finding that it wasn't there, Sakura quickly sat the book down on her desk and proceeded to pat herself down in search of it, looking around her room wildly. Coming to the conclusion that she had probably dropped it to or from the meeting with Pein and Konan, Sakura groaned.

As she changed her clothes, Sakura briefly contemplated going through with her plan. Itachi didn't seem to have any interest in her and she didn't know if it was a good idea to bother him when he clearly didn't want anything to do with her. But at the same time, that was how Sakura had gotten close with Kisame and Sasori. The two Shinobi had their reservations about her but through repeated encounters and conversations; they gradually came to like Sakura.

Sakura didn't think it was wrong to want to get close to Itachi and be his friend. Not when the Akatsuki was like a family to her and Itachi was the new member. Resolved, Sakura made her way back to the library and took the books she used the night before off of the shelves. With fresher eyes, Sakura realized that losing the scroll was a blessing. Instead of a scroll to create a barrier, it was much better to make four barrier tags and have them only respond to her chakra signature. Grinning at her good fortune, Sakura took four tags out of the cabinet and went to work. Once she was done, she placed the books back where she found them and dropped the tags off in her room.

It was Wednesday and as such, Sakura was to meet Kabuto for medical jutsu training. Checking her clock she quickly did a mental calculation and figured that she had about two hours before she had to see Kabuto. Out of all of Sasori's subordinates, Sakura was only close to Kabuto because he was teaching her medical jutsu and because before Itachi, he was the closest to her age. Having already decided to use the barrier tags on Itachi that night, Sakura concluded that a nap would help her stay up late enough to sneak into his room. Having already changed into comfortable clothes, Sakura set her alarm and pulled the covers from her twin bed. The red sheets were cool but her body heat warmed them and soon due to her exhaustion from travelling, Sakura slipped into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Itachi sidestepped Kisame's blade and immediately released a lightning jutsu. With Kisame relying heavily on water based attacks, Itachi retaliated with lightning and a few earth attacks that he had picked up with his sharingan. As they continued their training, both Itachi and Kisame were able to read the other's movements and their distinct tells before an attack. Such knowledge would be vital during a mission.

Nodding to Kisame, Itachi leaped to a dry, relatively unaffected area and called for a break. They had been at it since the moment they got back. Barely sweating, Itachi brushed the debris off his arms and waited for Kisame to join him.

Sitting beside each other, Kisame decided to break the silence first. "Sakura-chan will be trying to get you now, Itachi-san." Kisame said, slightly amused at his good fortune.

With Itachi, Sakura would have one more person to worry about, thus taking her tactics off of him. Kisame never intentionally forgot her presents; it was just that he never knew what to get her. Kabuto and Pein always ended up giving her books, Konan took care of the feminine things, and Sasori gave her artwork, therefore leaving Kisame with no niche to fill.

"Hn."

"When you find out her angle, don't be too hard on her. We've all been harassed at one point or another by the little brat." Most notable for him was when she had attempted to steal Samehada last year. The poor girl went blue trying to lift the blade and her attempt was so futile, Samehada didn't even raise its spikes.

"Hn."

"Did leader tell you how she came to the Akatsuki?" At Itachi's silence, Kisame continued, finally having the Uchiha's interest. "Pein-sama found her on the road, her parents were killed by thieves and she was crawling her way back to Konoha. Even at the age of five, he could tell she had a fair amount of chakra. Pein-sama asked and Sakura, knowing he was a missing-nin voluntarily followed."

Letting the words sink in, Itachi looked at Kisame, his facial expression as blank as always. "Unlike you and me, Sakura lost the ones closest to her from another person's hands."

"Guess you can put it that way. Could you imagine what this place would be like without her? The organization is dark enough as it is, add that to Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Pein-sama, Akatsuki would have no bright side. You've probably figured it out but we need her as much as she needs us."

"Hn." Itachi, seeing that Kisame's words were true realized that it was his way of telling him not to be too harsh to the pink haired girl. It was true that Itachi had been a bit cold to her but it was in no way out of malice. Perhaps, for the time being, he could allow Sakura to grow attached to him. When she grew older, he would make sure to prepare her for his inevitable death at the hands of his little brother.

* * *

As her alarm blared next to her, Sakura let out a loud groan before sluggishly reaching around to turn her alarm off. Pulling the sheets away, she shivered at the loss of warmth and sat up while rubbing her eyes, placing her feet on the ground. Letting out a big yawn as she stood, she stretched her little body. Dragging her feet across the hardwood floor, Sakura made her way to her bathroom in order to wash her face and get the sleep out of her eyes.

Making herself somewhat presentable, Sakura closed the bedroom door behind her and went off in search of Kabuto, feeling refreshed from her nap. Spotting him coming up the stairs with his distinct grey hair, Sakura ran over to him and jumped from the top of the stairs to attack him with a hug. "Kabuto-nii! Welcome back! Are you ready? Are you ready?"

As he effortlessly caught the petite aspiring Kunoichi, Kabuto chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Hello Sakura-san, I just have to organize a few things, I'll meet you in the library shortly." Though Sakura referred to him as Kabuto-nii, Kabuto, as a subordinate of Sasori, always referred to her as being higher in status than he was. Carrying her up the stairs, Kabuto let her down and watched as she walked to the library with a slight bounce in her step.

As promised, Kabuto arrived at the library within a few minutes and placed a textbook from his own collection on the large rectangular table. Taking a seat next to Sakura, Kabuto opened the book and flipped through the pages until he arrived on the chapter they were covering.

"Now, Sakura, do you remember what we went over last time?"

The young girl pondered for a moment before answering. "You told me that the key to a good medic-nin was staying out of battle if it can be avoided. Medic-nin are there to assist the injured, engaging in battle and getting injured is not good."

"Very good. Since you already know enough about the human anatomy for now, we'll go over your chakra control next. You don't want to waste chakra since you don't know the extent of the injuries. Your chakra control is already above average so you only need to learn how to judge how much chakra to use while healing. Don't overdo it. If a medic falls from chakra drainage and has to rest, there are many more patients you could have saved."

Nodding, Sakura took mental notes of everything Kabuto was telling her. While it wasn't her intention to become a medic-nin, she saw it as a way to broaden her abilities and improve her chakra control while also finding a way to utilize it effectively. Knowing her strength in chakra control was the reason why Kabuto had started teaching sakura about medical ninjutsu, Sakura listened intently.

As he continued to go over the basics and showed her how to use her chakra to find internal damage, Sakura picked things up quickly. Leading Sakura through the steps, Kabuto offered words of encouragement as she sent her chakra into his body as practice. Knowing that Sasori was going to teach Sakura about poisons in the future, Kabuto moved on to the offensive possibilities of medical ninjutsu.

"Any knowledge is useful Sakura; your understanding of chakra points and the human body can benefit you while you're fighting an opponent."

Their lesson went on for another hour until Kabuto had to get back to his duties and Sakura could see the sun start to set through the window.

Giving him a hug, Sakura smiled widely. "Thank you Kabuto-nii, I enjoyed our lesson, I hope you have time again soon!" At his nod, Sakura's smile grew as she bounced off to wash up for dinner.

* * *

Sakura looked at the clock for the eighth time in the past hour, impatiently waiting for enough time to pass. As the clock read 2:56, Sakura reasoned that after a few minutes, she would sneak over to Itachi's bedroom. It gave him enough time to fall asleep and hopefully, he would be out like a light. Sitting up in bed, Sakura looked at the four barrier tags spread out before her and drummed her fingers on her knee as she watched the seconds tick by. Her eyes slowly started getting heavier and Sakura had to blink hard a few times in order to focus them. Sitting in the relative darkness of her room, Sakura had first tried to pass the time by reading but found that she was far too nervous to focus on the words.

Finally, as the clock read 3:10, Sakura grabbed the barrier tags and carefully walked out, her eyes already well adjusted to the dark, her heart started hammering in her chest from the adrenaline. Breathing steadily, hoping to calm her nerves, Sakura walked carefully around the squeaky wood planks and turned the corner to Itachi's room. Leaning her ear against the cold wood, Sakura suppressed her chakra and slowly slid the door open. Each sound of seemed to be amplified by a hundred times to Sakura and she kept shooting worried looks at the bed. Entering the room as quietly as she was able, Sakura turned and slid the door closed. Taking out one of the barrier tags, Sakura placed it on the door, all the while completely awake from her nervousness.

"What do you think you're doing?" At the deep voice coming behind her, Sakura jumped, whipping around, she dropped the rest of the barrier tags and placed her hands over her erratic heart.

"I-Itachi-san. I was…I mean, I only meant to…I'm sorry." Her voice was small as she averted her gaze from his sharingan. After a pause she could hear Itachi's sigh and her body tensed in preparation for his anger.

Itachi got up from his bed and took deliberate steps so as not to frighten her. As he knelt in front of her, he wondered briefly how to go about comforting the small girl. "Sakura, it's alright." Lifting her head with his fingers gently, Itachi forced his sharingan away.

A slight gasp caught in her throat as she looked into Itachi's dark eyes for the first time. "I'm sorry, Itachi-san, I only wished for you to stay here…with me."

"I understand. I assure you, Sakura, I won't die during this mission. I promise."

Nodding weakly, Sakura tentatively hugged him. "I would like to be your friend, Itachi-san…no one should be lonely."

With her face buried in his chest, Itachi's eyes softened just a bit as he remembered Sasuke and their entwined fates. Sasuke would have to come back from darkness after they fought; Itachi only hoped that Sasuke had a friend like Sakura in Konoha to help him. Nodding his defeat, Itachi patted Sakura's back awkwardly.

* * *

2 Weeks later

Itachi and Kisame finished their assignment right on schedule and were on their way to the temple where Itachi had first met the Akatsuki members for a meeting with Sasori, Orochimaru, Pein, and Konan. The duo had worked together even better than they had suspected as Kisame didn't mind Itachi's aloof personality and Itachi in turn curbed Kisame's violent tendencies. They didn't converse much during the mission and for that, Itachi was thankful.

Quickly judging by the position of the sun, Itachi and Kisame were early for the meeting and as such both decided to walk to the location. As the stone steps appeared in the distance, Kisame suddenly stopped. "The brat! I forgot to get her something."

"Just go without anything." Itachi said uncaringly as he continued walking.

"I can't do that. I didn't get her anything last time." Snickering he recalled Sakura's failed attempt at trapping Itachi. "Thankfully you were here to keep her occupied. If I go back with nothing, I'll never get her off my back."

"Hn." Itachi knew what was going to happen next; as he got closer to the stairs his keen eyes spotted Orochimaru at the bottom of the steps. Kisame excused himself to quickly make something out of whatever he could find so Itachi continued until he was within earshot of Orochimaru. Distrusting the Shinobi, Itachi kept his guard up and barely gave him a glace as he started going up the steps toward the temple. Judging by the chakra signature at the top, Sasori was waiting for them alone which meant there was a reason why Orochimaru was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps.

Orochimaru was practically salivating at this opportunity. He didn't think he would be able to get Itachi alone but it seemed as though luck was on his side. Falling into line behind Itachi, he followed him up the stairs. Since he didn't question him, Orochimaru didn't feel compelled to give an excuse as to why he was waiting for them at the bottom. Biding his time, Orochimaru slowly started his jutsu and captured Itachi with a serpent.

"Someone who's using the precious sharingan is standing before me. I'm quite the lucky one. Now, I'll take that body of yours!" The wind started blowing around them as Orochimaru prepared to use his Soul Transfer technique to steal Itachi's body and the sharingan. But as he prepared to do just that, he discovered that he was unable to move his body.

Shocked, Orochimaru instantly recognized what had happened. "Impossible! I've already been paralyzed by your genjutsu!" He hadn't even noticed when it had occurred but Orochimaru was the one trapped. "The power of those eyes, it's marvelous!" Too close to the power he desperately desired, he couldn't give up the chance.

Though spikes from Itachi's genjutsu kept him in place, Orochimaru strengthened his resolve and attempted to move his hands to form a hand sign. With a speed greater than his own, Itachi severed Orochimaru's left hand with a kunai.

"Orochimaru, before my eyes, all of your jutsu become useless."

* * *

Sakura tried to block Pein's words from echoing in her head. Orochimaru attempted his Soul Transfer technique, almost taking over Itachi's body at the temple. As she started nervously pacing outside near the gates to the Akatsuki base, Sakura kept her head down, wondering if everything was okay. From what she could gather, a few minutes after Orochimaru failed to steal Itachi's body and escaped, Pein returned in order to send people after Orochimaru. Good riddance she thought, Orochimaru deserved to have a thousand ninja after him for what he tried to do. It was a betrayal against someone she cared about, nothing in her mind could be a more grievous error. When Pein had left, sensing her alarm, he instructed her to wait at the base and that Itachi was fine.

Pacing, she waited for any sign of Itachi, wanting to see for herself whether or not he was okay. Never having seen or heard about a Soul Transfer technique, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if Itachi and Orochimaru had fought. What if Itachi was injured? They were both accomplished Shinobi, powerful, and adept. Orochimaru was a type to fight dirty, what if Orochimaru tried something underhanded? Itachi could be poisoned or worse! Shaking her head forcefully, Sakura expelled those thoughts from her mind.

Continuing to pace back and forth, Sakura barely heard the arrival of Kabuto. Jumping slightly when he tapped her shoulder, Sakura looked up at him sadly. "They're taking too long, Kabuto-nii. What if they're fighting Orochimaru right now?"

"Sakura-san, I doubt Kisame-san would have allowed Itachi-san to get injured. Itachi-san and the others will be here shortly. Let's wait for him indoors; you'll make yourself sick with all the pacing."

Nodding reluctantly, Sakura followed Kabuto inside, looking over her shoulder one last time hoping to see black and red coats.

Waiting inside with Kabuto was even worse as Sakura couldn't even sit still. Kabuto sat next to her on the black couch, every attempt at talking resulted in Sakura connecting it back to Itachi or Orochimaru and the Soul Transfer technique. Sakura fidgeted constantly and checked the clock almost every minute, wondering where Itachi was. Every second that passed, Sakura thought of another disastrous scenario, no matter how farfetched.

"What if Orochimaru attacked Itachi on his way back!" She exclaimed.

"Sakura-san, everything is alright. Didn't you say you let Itachi-san go because he promised you he wouldn't die during the mission?"

"Yes…but he's not on the mission anymore." She finished weakly, ignoring another attempt at calming her. "Kabuto-nii, you wouldn't leave, would you?"

"As long as Sasori-sama needs me, I will be here to assist you, Sakura-san." Nodding, Sakura finally allowed herself to feel a bit better, all the while hoping to see Akatsuki cloaks returning to the base in one piece.

Finally after what felt like forever, Pein, Konan, Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori returned along with Sasori's subordinates. Seeing no evidence of a scuffle, Sakura rushed forward, wanting to make sure. "Are you alright Itachi-san?"

"Hn." At the one word answer, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I was worried." His finger brushed the middle of her forehead and the contact was enough for Sakura to forget all about her concern. It was the first time since the night she failed to trap him that he intentionally sought to comfort her.

Smiling at them, Sakura wondered what had happened to Orochimaru, however, her question was answered when Sasori stepped forward. "Pein-sama, I shall take responsibility for my partner's defection and go after him myself."

"No, you are needed for other things and we will find you a new partner."

Sasori respected Orochimaru and had gotten along with him as a partner well. To hear that Orochimaru betrayed the organization and attempted to steal Itachi's body left him seething. How could he have not known his partner's plan? "Kabuto."

Standing, Kabuto bowed respectfully. "Yes, Sasori-sama."

"You will go after Orochimaru."

"Yes, Sasori-sama."

"Sakura." Looking to Sasori in surprise, Sakura squeaked out a "yes?" from hearing the anger in his voice. "Say your goodbyes now."

Disappointed that Kabuto would be leaving before they could finish her training, Sakura dragged her feet over to the grey haired nin. "Be safe Kabuto-nii."

"Good-bye Sakura-san." Returning the hug, Kabuto straightened and stepped out with Sasori, where he performed the Memory-concealing manipulative sand technique or the Brain wash jutsu to transform Kabuto into a sleeper agent.

When Sasori returned without Kabuto and walked in with Hiruko, his armor puppet dragged along behind him with chakra strings, Pein spoke to all of them as the subordinate Jounin went on with their duties. "Rest. Take Sakura out tomorrow, she's been stuck here for the past two weeks."

As everyone nodded in understanding, Pein and Konan left the base.

"I'm sure you're all very tired. I'm glad none of you are injured." Sakura beamed, happy to have Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori with her once more.

Sasori reached into his pocket and presented her with a Kisame puppet. Accepting the gift graciously, Sakura hugged Sasori, hoping to improve his mood. "Thank you Sasori-san, it's perfect. I hope your next partner is a thousand times better than Orochimaru. I didn't like him anyway." When Sasori ruffled her hair, Sakura's smile only grew.

"Kisame-san, you didn't forget again did you? I'm stronger now, I could probably carry Samehada." She threatened halfheartedly.

"You haven't gotten that much stronger and you're still pintsized. Whatever, here." Reaching inside his Akatsuki cloak, Kisame tossed a rock with an Akatsuki cloud on it. On the other side was her name. Catching it with both hands, Sakura ran her fingers over the marks, guessing they were made from water. Smiling at the present, even if it was crudely made, Sakura hugged the giant shark man.

"Thank you Kisame-san. I love it."

"Since you and Itachi are now chummy, does he need to get you gifts too?"

"That's up to Itachi-san."

"Then why isn't it up to us? I'm running out of things to get you, you brat."

"Kisame-san! I don't bully you into giving me things and they don't have to be elaborate. I just get bored all alone here."

"You do bully us! With your tactics, even the Buddha's patience would wear thin when you don't get your way."

"Buddha would understand and get me things while he is away!"

Shaking his head at them, Itachi left for his room before he could be dragged into the fight. He swore, whenever Kisame was around the girl, he turned into a child. Sasori on the other hand got back into Hiruko and pretended not to hear them as he too retired to his own room.

"Kisame-san, just admit it, you like having me around, even though you call me a squirt."

"Only if you tell me that I don't have to get you anything after every mission."

"Kisame-san, you don't have to get me something on every mission. But while you're gone for long periods, I would like a memento of you!"

"Two weeks is not a long period."

"That's because you forgot the last time and you were off on a month long mission!"

"Itachi-san!"

"Itachi-san!" As they both spoke at the same time and looked to where Sasori and Itachi were standing, the two realized that they had left. "Brat, I'm tired. Go off and play or study or whatever it is you do here every day."

"That's my point exactly." She mumbled. "Kisame-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for making this for me." She genuinely smiled at him, the rest of her tension gone. "And for returning safely."

"Don't mention it squirt." Watching Kisame head upstairs, Sakura held the Kisame doll and the engraved rock tightly to her chest. Yes, she was blessed. More than she could have ever hoped to be.

* * *

The next day Kisame, Itachi, Sasori, and Sakura left the base at noon. As they travelled light, Sasori didn't have Hiruko with him and Kisame didn't have Samehada. They didn't foresee meeting hostilities and they were only planning on being out for a few hours. Sakura wanted to go to a nearby village for dango and shopping. Without the weight of Samehada, Kisame carried Sakura on his shoulders. As she laughed at how tall she now was and started speaking of the different things she had studied while they were away, Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori were able to put the events of yesterday behind them, if only for the moment.

Instead, enjoying the day out, free from missions, the four leisurely made their way into the village, with their straw hats and Akatsuki cloaks, they would have looked foreboding if not for the four foot pink haired girl sitting atop the tall man's shoulders. The streets weren't crowded and as the villages gave them a wide berth, they didn't pay attention to those around them. Pointing to a dango shop, Sakura tapped Kisame's shoulder and leaned forward, parting the tassels to grin at him upside down.

"Can we get dango Kisame-san?"

"Sure, brat, whatever you want."

"Yay! Itachi-san, do you like dango?"

"Hn."

"Really? Then one of these days, I'll make some for you." Itachi looked at Sakura from the corner of his eyes, partly obscured by the tassels.

"Alright, now get off me brat." Laughing at Kisame, Sakura leaped from his shoulders and did a flip in the air to land on her feet. As they got closer to the dango shop, Sakura grabbed Itachi and Sasori's hand and gave an unabashed smile.

Entering the dango shop, Sakura sat next to Sasori, across from Itachi. As an old woman came by to take their order and serve tea, Sakura spoke up first. "We'd like four orders of dango please!"

The old woman laughed at Sakura's enthusiasm and nodded. As they waited patiently, Sakura took a sip of the tea and practically melted. It was so nice to be out of the base that Sakura couldn't contain her excitement or content at being out with the three Akatsuki members.

As the elderly woman returned with the dango, Sakura licked her lips at how good it looked.

"Sakura, you know I don't eat." Sasori said as he pushed his plate of dango to Sakura.

"Yes, but look how delicious it looks." Grinning at him, Sakura pushed his plate closer to him and took a bite of her dango. Letting out a content sigh, Sakura sipped her tea and watched Sasori reluctantly take a bite he couldn't taste.

"How is it Itachi-san?"

"Hn."

"I think they're quite good as well."

"Can you really understand him?"

"Of course I can Kisame-san!" Taking another bite of her dango, Sakura frowned at him.

"Hear that Itachi? She can understand you; guess you're not as mysterious as you think you are." Knowing it was meant as a joke, Itachi only continued eating his dango.

"Sakura."

"Yes, Itachi-san?" Surprised that Itachi was actually speaking, Sakura perked up.

"Sasori put his dango on your plate." Looking down to see that Sasori indeed put the rest of his dango on her plate, Sakura turned to the puppet master and frowned.

"Sasori-san!"

"I'm full, Sakura. You seem to be enjoying them, eat the rest."

Grudgingly agreeing, Sakura poured Kisame, Itachi, and herself more tea and polished off the rest of her dango.

"So what do you need to buy?" Kisame asked, full from lunch and the dnago.

"Um…nothing really, the base is still completely stocked. But I wanted to buy new training clothes. The ones I have are getting small and I want to wear something similar to what the Akatsuki wears."

Groaning, Kisame motioned to Sasori. "Can't Sasori make something for you?"

"Then we need fabric, Kisame." The words were said in a matter of fact way but Sakura was elated to hear them come from the Sunagakure nin.

"Really? You'd make something for me, Sasori-san?"

At his nod, Sakura jumped in happiness. "What about something red?"

As the four left the dango shop and headed towards a fabric store, a necklace caught Sakura's eye. It was fairly plain with just circular links connected on a black chain. As the group continued walking past it, Sakura looked up to take note of the name of the store and continued on.

Soon they had two bags, one full of fabric, the other contained picture frames, another one of Sakura's ideas. The Akatsuki base had absolutely nothing on the walls or any other photos. As they were something akin to family, Sakura decided that they deserved to have pictures of the members, at least one in each room. The three members didn't care either way and had no desire to buy the frames but Sakura talked them into it, saying that it was art and that it would give her something to do while alone at the base. Since no one could go against that, they bought the frames, hoping that she didn't go too crazy with the picture taking.

After window shopping and coming to the conclusion that nothing else was needed, Sakura agreed that it was time to head back to the base. Since Kisame offered to hold the bags, Sakura went back to holding Itachi and Sasori's hand. Between the two shorter members, Sakura didn't feel as short as when she was standing next to Kisame.

"Itachi-san, when can we continue our training?"

"We can start tomorrow and go on until I leave for another mission."

Excited, Sakura nodded and then turned her head to Sasori. "Sasori-san, Kabuto-nii told me that you were going to teach me about poisons."

"We'll get to that next year, Sakura. It's not good to learn everything at once." Though some of her excitement waned at that, Sakura was still happy to hear that Itachi planned on training her further.

* * *

**Please read and review!**

**And again, do you think Sakura should show up during the chunin exams?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sakura: 9**  
**Itachi: 14**

**Just to give you an idea of how powerful Sakura is right now:**  
**Ninjutsu: 2**  
**taijutsu: 2**  
**genjutsu: 1.5**  
**intelligence: 2.5**  
**strength: 0.5**  
**speed: 2.5**  
**stamina: 1**  
**hand seals: 2.5**  
**total: 14.5 (I think for a 9 year old, not a prodigy, it's high. I didn't want to make her too powerful where she becomes a Mary Sue and I wanted to give her something to improve on as the years go by. I also wanted to make it at least similar to the cannon Sakura. For example, her strength is still weak and her best points are hand seals and intelligence. I gave her speed a little bump since she's been working on that with Itachi. The only reason why her genjutsu is good is because she's smart.)**

**There have been multiple comments about Itachi's cold behavior that I'd like to justify or tell you my reasoning. It will be revealed in this chapter.**

**As always, your thoughts? Concerns? Questions? All welcome.**

**Do you think I made her too powerful for a nine year old? I had about twenty different ways I could have made her stats.**

* * *

Sakura tightened the plain black cloak around her shoulders to obscure part of her face as she increased her speed. With the new clothes Sasori had made for her, Sakura moved easily and efficiently through the forest to her destination. Her new wardrobe was much more sophisticated and resembled what most of the Akatsuki members wore. During the month by herself, Sakura cut her long pink hair to have it reach her shoulders instead as she felt it was time for a change. The Akatsuki members had yet to see it and Sakura was quite excited to see their reaction.

Sneaking out of the Akatsuki base was easy when there was no one around to watch her. There was a large enough window for Sakura to go to the village, get the supplies, and return to the base without being detected. After all, the Jounin thought that she was training outside and no one would bother her until dinner. With the other Akatsuki members out of the base, Sakura was free to do whatever she wanted.

While it wasn't a habit of hers to sneak out, she did so occasionally when she was too bored or when there was something she needed desperately enough. Sakura didn't bother enjoying the scenery or the fresh air, instead, her heart was beating wildly in her chest from the exhilaration of being free, being able to spread her legs and going towards a destination instead of going in circles. There was also anticipation coursing through her as she imagined the party they were going to have. Sakura was making all the preparations, the only thing that she needed was at a nearby village and of course, for the guests to return from their missions.

Pein knew what she was up to as he knew the type of girl she was. However, she doubted that he knew just how much she was doing for the party. Smiling to herself, Sakura picked up the pace and hoped that the guest of honor didn't get tipped off.

The past year had been filled with many ups and downs as the Akatsuki constantly looked for members for both Sasori and Kakuzu. While Sakura didn't understand why Pein bothered to even try to pair Kakuzu with someone, she was quite worried about Sasori being without a partner for so long. Though he wasn't a talkative person, she didn't want Sasori alone all the time as no one should have to endure solitude.

Once Sakura reached the gates to the small village, she jumped down from the tree branch and landed gracefully. The streets were packed with buyers and merchants so Sakura had to navigate and push her way through the bodies. People still towered over her and as vendors tried to get her attention, Sakura ignored any and all distractions as she knew what she already wanted. She'd seen it months ago and hoped that it or a form of it was still there.

Sakura didn't travel as much as the Akatsuki members but she could tell there was something special about the necklace she saw almost a year ago. The black chain with a simple circular design was graceful yet completely masculine. Finding the small store she had seen while walking out of the dango shop, Sakura tentatively pulled the door and stepped inside. Luckily, there weren't many people inside the jewelry store and as she did a quick inventory in search of the necklace, Sakura's face fell as she realized the piece was no longer there. Ringing the bell for the owner, Sakura crossed her fingers for something similar.

When an old man came out, Sakura smiled as she enthusiastically used her hands to describe what she wanted. "I saw a necklace here a while ago; I wanted to get it for a friend of mine, it was black with silver rings going around?" Her hopeful green eyes looked up at the old man behind the counter.

"I'm sorry little one, I'm afraid it's no longer here."

Sakura's smile faded as she nodded solemnly. "I see. I guess I waited too long. Is there any way for you to make another one exactly like it?"

"It'll take me two days." The old man smiled warmly at the young girl, happy that someone liked his jewelry enough to commission him for a replica. It was obvious that she had travelled to buy his piece and since it was for who seemed to be a good friend, the old man couldn't say no to the girl.

"Then I will come back for it, ojii-san. Thank you so much! He'll love it, I'm sure." Bowing again, Sakura left the village in high spirits.

It seemed to be a year of good fortune for Sakura as she swiftly returned to the Akatsuki base before anyone could discover her missing. Thankfully she had enough foresight to purchase the present before any of the members returned for the party. She had a few days before Itachi and Kisame returned from their mission and a week before Konan, Pein, Sasori, and Kakuzu were supposed to return.

Easily sneaking back into the base, Sakura stopped by her room to put away her coat before heading down stairs to really train. With the members busy with missions, Sakura didn't have anyone to train with and so she spent her time reviewing what she learned and read. Whenever Pein had the time, he would give her a list of jutsu to learn. Some of them required far more chakra than she was able to use but she learned the hand signs for them nevertheless.

From her training, Sakura knew all of the basic E-rank ninjutsu like the substitution and clone jutsu. She also knew the D-rank Body flicker technique or the teleportation jutsu. One of the first techniques that Pein had taught her personally and oversaw her training was for the A-rank hiding with camouflage technique or chameleon jutsu. He wanted Sakura to first and foremost have a way to remain unseen or escape easily.

Discovering that her nature affinity was water and since he had already started training her in taijutsu, Itachi was to take over her ninjutsu training. However, due to missions, Sakura stayed at the Akatsuki base alone for the past month and a half. Sakura was very much looking forward to expanding her ninjutsu abilities and learning C-rank to A-rank techniques but there never seemed to be enough time.

Sakura was happy when she found that her affinity was water as it had versatile attacks and had the ability to combat Itachi's fire affinity. For an unexplained reason, the fact that their nature affinities had a direct relationship made Sakura's heart a little lighter.

* * *

On their way back to the Akatsuki base, Itachi and Kisame sat around the small campfire in peaceful silence. While Kisame had commissioned a sword for Sakura, Itachi didn't bother with a present for the pink haired kunoichi. Itachi didn't want to make attachments and he definitely didn't want Sakura to become attached to him. If her reaction Kabuto's betrayal was any indication, she wouldn't survive the death of a loved one.

After Kabuto joined Orochimaru, Sakura didn't leave her room for a week. She refused to believe that her "Kabuto-nii" defected from the organization. When she finally came to terms with what they all knew, Sakura became more desperate. Itachi had hoped that after her failed attempt at sealing him inside his room, she would give up or forget about it but Kabuto's defection only renewed her efforts. He didn't even bother to explain to her that her seals would have to have been pinned to each wall of his room, including above his bed. He also didn't point out that she would have been trapped alongside him and that if he really wanted to, he could have used any number of techniques to burn through the seals and a wall to get out.

Mentally shaking his head at her first attempt, Itachi recalled her second efforts and how it would have been amusing if it wasn't happening to him. Unfortunately, Kisame enjoyed the scene far too much and talked about it for the better part of the mission. The ex Kirigakure-nin said that it was Itachi's fault for not paying attention to the girl and for teaching her taijutsu. The day before the mission, Sakura tried to sneak up behind him and knock him out. She attempted to use various jutsu but Itachi, who never deactivated his sharingan, even in the base, saw through everything.

It amazed him how Sakura watched her parents die and yet still possessed an air of innocence around her. She never had to kill anyone before and never had to fight someone who was trying to kill her. Since he was young, Itachi had to conform to what the village and what the Uchiha clan wanted from him. As the clan heir and the prodigy of his time, Itachi was the model ninja, following orders and keeping his emotions out of missions. He was level headed, critical, and composed with everything that he did. Itachi lost friends, allies, and even his dear younger brother in one night because of a mission. His family blood was on his hands and he ruined countless lives, including Sasuke's.

In a sense, Itachi failed as a ninja because he couldn't kill his brother and treat it like a normal mission and he failed as a brother as he couldn't shield Sasuke from the horror. The only way Sasuke was going to find peace was with his death and Itachi was resolved, believing that to be his fate. His purpose was to push Sasuke to do better, to get stronger, and to see to it that he revived their clan the right way. Itachi didn't deserve to be happy or have peace and he didn't want to taint Sakura's innocence. Every time Itachi trained Sakura and his hands touched her, he envisioned them drenched with blood. Sakura never had blood on her hands before; she didn't know how that changed a person. If only for the time being, the Uchiha wanted to protect her from that.

Itachi was pulled out of his thoughts as Kisame's voice broke the silence. "Are you sure you don't want to show up with a gift for the brat? She's not going to be happy."

"Hn."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you enjoyed messing with her or the attention you get from her." Itachi looked up at Kisame, obviously disagreeing with the taller man's comment. Putting his hands up in a mock show of peace, Kisame chuckled.

"She should know by now to give up. It's been a year since I joined the organization."

"Sakura's not the type to give up without exhausting all of her efforts. The more you fight, the more she'll fight back. It's one of the reasons why I like the little brat."

Itachi's red eyes moved to the fire in front of them, in thought. "Hn."

"That reminds me; when we get back, expect Sakura to throw you a party for your first year with the Akatsuki. It's the first one since she joined and since it's hard to get everyone together for birthdays, Sakura got leader to agree on it."

Itachi simply didn't show any outward sign that he had even heard the warning. Shockingly, a part of Itachi warmed at how far Sakura was willing to go. Another part of him realized that Sakura wasn't going to give up on getting close to him and that she had already attached herself to him. Leaning back against the tree, Itachi closed his eyes, giving them a slight reprieve.

* * *

As Sakura anxiously waited for the two days to pass, she also grew concerned, hoping that Itachi and Kisame didn't return early. She wanted her present to be a surprise and if Pein found out that she was sneaking off the base, he would get mad at her. Waking at sunrise on the day of pickup, Sakura went down for breakfast, already changed into her training attire.

As she ate alone, loneliness started to creep into her heart, causing it to tighten painfully at the reminder that it was one of her many countless meals alone. Shaking the thought forcefully out of her head, Sakura reminded herself that the good memories of the Akatsuki far outweighed the days by herself. After she cleaned her plate and set it on the side to dry, Sakura announced to the Jounin that she was going out to train.

Sakura walked to the gate by the training area and forced chakra to her feet to leap over the tall barrier. Rushing to the village, she looked up at the dark grey clouds and increased her speed. If it started raining and Sakura wasn't back inside the house, one of the Jounin was sure to discover her missing. Berating herself for forgetting her coat, Sakura looked up again to see the clouds move in towards her.

Not slowing down, even as the village neared, Sakura leaped on rooftops until she got to the jewelry store. Dropping down, Sakura pushed her way in, sweating and out of breath. "Ojii-san!"

The old man emerged from the back, through a dark blue curtain and smiled at her. "Right on time." Reaching below the counter, he came back up with a plain black box. When he opened it for her, the necklace rested on a white cloth. It was just as she remembered and as the smooth metal caught the artificial light in the store, it shined.

Still panting, Sakura made her way to the counter, slowly regaining her normal breathing. "It's perfect. Thank you ojii-san." Having no time to admire the piece, she took out her wallet to pay the old man and took the box from him with two hands. Tucking the box under her arm, Sakura bowed to the owner and gave a short wave before running back out to feel small drops of rain. Not wanting to get the box wet, Sakura stuck it under her shirt and held it against her chest with one hand as she leaped back up to the roof to avoid the crowd.

As she departed the village and started making her way back to the house, the light drizzle quickly turned into a heavy rain, soaking her hair and chilling her skin. The trees did little to cover her as she jumped between the branches and her wet clothes weighed her down slightly; making her movements sluggish. The raindrops clouded her vision as they hit her eyes and plastered her hair to her face. Hunched over to prevent the rain from reaching her precious cargo, Sakura grunted as she stopped and leaned against a tree about halfway to the base. On the large branch, Sakura fought to catch her breath as she shivered from the cold.

Easing the box from under her shirt, Sakura sighed in relief to discover that it was still mostly dry. Though it was midday, the grey clouds darkened the sky and Sakura slumped down to sit with her back against the tree. By now the Jounin had to have discovered her missing, depleting her chakra further and straining herself wasn't going to make a difference.

Listening to the loud patter of rain, Sakura brought her knees to her chest, hoping to warm up a little. As the wind whistled through the forest, Sakura's teeth clattered and her shivering worsened.

Expecting the rain to continue for at least an hour, Sakura thought it was best to stay put for the time being. She only hoped that it wouldn't turn into a thunderstorm. She couldn't handle thunder and lightning. Like any child, the flashes of light and the loud earth shaking rumblings scared her. It was better when she was indoors but to be outdoors when a storm hit, she wouldn't be able to move from her spot in fear. During nighttime thunderstorms Sakura always managed to go to Pein's room, even if he wasn't around. With his familiar scent surrounding her and safely within the Akatsuki base, Sakura was always comforted almost instantly.

She didn't know how much time had passed but the rain wouldn't cease. With dread in her stomach, Sakura realized that the dark clouds above her were storm clouds. She couldn't feel her toes and fingers as her trembling increased with the bad weather and harsher winds. Standing shakily, Sakura realized she couldn't sit around and wait for the storm to end and that her only chance was to simply rush through it instead. The box cradled in her hands was still relatively dry and as she tightened her grip on it, her vision blurred and she sneezed violently. When Sakura called chakra to her hand and placed it over her chest to heal her cold, she found that her control was shaky.

Her eyes glazed over with fever, Sakura stumbled on the branch and swung violently in order to catch herself on the tree trunk. Unfortunately the sudden movement caused her hold on the box to loosen and it fell from her grasp. Without thinking Sakura lunged after it, one arm outstretched to catch the falling gift, Sakura could barely concentrate and just as she almost got her fingers around it, she was caught by two strong hands, one under her knees and the other on her back. Gasping in surprise Sakura looked up to see a high black collar and red clouds.

Rain fell on her face as the box landed silently on the forest floor. Both relieved and terrified that an Akatsuki member had found her outside of the base; Sakura twisted around in the person's arms and looked through hazy eyes at the small dot on the floor as the figure stopped on a branch. Reaching for it desperately, Sakura's voice came out a whisper. "The present." Looking up at the Akatsuki member, Sakura waited for any clue as to who it was.

Almost out of nowhere the member produced a coat and looked down to wrap her in it. When Sakura spotted the dark eyes and red hair of Sasori, she bit her blue lower lip in embarrassment. Sakura suspected Sasori wouldn't tell leader but to be saved once again put her skills as a Kunoichi on the line. A little rain wouldn't have stopped one of the Akatsuki members.

"You weren't at the base."

"I…I'm sorry Sasori-san. I just wanted to get Itachi-san a present for his first year with the Akatsuki." Still shivering, Sakura had to speak over the sounds of the rain. Water dripped down Sasori's smooth face as he simply leaped off the branch and landed around the same area as where the box was. Using chakra strings with the hand under Sakura's knees, Sasori pulled the box and placed it gently on Sakura's chest.

"Rest, Sakura. You've caught a cold."

Seeking a body heat Sasori no longer had, Sakura burrowed herself into the giant coat he brought and smiled faintly as warmth bloomed in her chest regardless of the physical heat Sasori couldn't provide. "Thank you Sasori-san. It means a lot to me."

Though his face didn't betray his emotions, Sasori was worried to find that the girl was not at the house when he returned from his mission. He'd searched for her and asked the Jounin but none of them had seen her after breakfast. When the rain started pouring, Sasori left the base to search the surrounding forest. Since Sasori couldn't feel the cold, the weather didn't faze him or slow him down and he used clones to cover more ground. Thankfully she didn't get herself into any serious trouble and she was only going to have a cold from her stunt.

In only a few minutes, Sasori arrived at the front gate, holding a shivering Sakura in his arms. Ignoring the Jounin, Sasori took Sakura to her room, leaving a trail of rainwater and mud behind him. Once inside her room and in her bathroom, he easily maneuvered her around in his arms and started filling her tub with hot water. As she held her gift with both hands, Sasori set her down on the tiled floor of her bathroom and looked at her pointedly.

"You're not supposed to leave the base without one of us present, Sakura."

"I know. But I wanted to get Itachi-san a present…and the village isn't very far…" Sakura looked down in guilt as her voice rang around the bathroom walls.

In the extended silence, steam started filling the small bathroom until eventually, Sasori sighed in defeat. "Don't do it again or I'll be forced to tell leader. Just this once, I went with you to get Itachi's present."

Her head snapped up and her expressive green eyes shined as she nodded vigorously and her wet hair dripped with cold water. "Thank you Sasori-san. I promise I won't do it again."

Nodding, Sasori turned to leave but before he could take a step, Sakura threw her arms around his waist. The contact was only for a few moments before Sakura straightened and gave him a brilliant innocent grin as he left the bathroom and headed towards his own room to get dry.

Once Sasori was gone, Sakura placed Itachi's present on the sink and opened the muddy box just to make sure the necklace was okay. Relieved to find that the necklace itself was still pristine, Sakura turned the water off and undressed. As the warm air ceased her shivers, Sakura sneezed repeatedly, still not warm enough. Stepping gingerly into the hot water, Sakura sighed in relief as her body temperature went up.

The water splashed slightly as she dunked her head under. Leaning back, Sakura brought a glowing hand to her chest and started healing the cold and fever she had gotten from staying out in the rain. A part of her was still thankful to Kabuto for teaching her medical ninjutsu but another part was still hurt that he would leave the Akatsuki and her to be with someone like Orochimaru. Sakura never considered the Akatsuki evil but Orochimaru and Kakuzu were different in her opinion. The two missing-nin scared her more than Pein had when she first met him.

* * *

When Sakura finally emerged from her bathroom, her skin was flushed from the heat and color had returned to her cheeks and lips, giving her a healthier glow. After changing into warmer clothing, Sakura took care of her wet clothes and took the necklace from the box. She couldn't give Itachi a gift in that thing. Placing the necklace on her desk, Sakura rummaged around her drawer and closet for a better place to present her gift.

Upon hearing a loud boom, Sakura jumped and placed a hand on her chest as the first lightning bolt struck somewhere in the distance, giving off a flash of light. When it was followed by another, even louder boom and rumble, Sakura ran out of her room and rushed towards the stairs leading up to the third floor.

Though Sasori was right next to Sakura, she didn't want anyone but Pein to know that she still feared thunder and lightning. It was an uncontrollable, childish fear that she had yet to grow out of and even though her rational mind told her that, she was still scared of it. She was almost at the top of the stairs when another loud boom went off outside and when Sakura looked up, she noticed Kakuzu at the top of the stairs. No one told her that Kakuzu was back!

Turning sharply on her heels, Sakura almost lost her footing and stumbled down the stairs, her hands still cupping her ears. Thunder and lightning was bad enough but to have Kakuzu on the same floor as her was something akin to Hell. Running down the hallway, Sakura went to the only other place she could think of which was Itachi's room. Bursting inside, Sakura all but jumped into the large bed and pulled the covers over her head before the next bolt of lightning struck.

Breathing heavily, Sakura gripped the sheets and tried to relax. Her chest heaving with each breath, Sakura's nose was filled with Itachi's scent. While it didn't have the instant calming effect that Pein's had, Itachi's unique scent still helped her gain better control of herself, tensing only slightly when the lightning struck. He smelled earthy and clean, like his body wash. A few minutes ticked by before Sakura poked her head out and relaxed further, the thunder and lightning almost forgotten. Eventually dozing off to the sound of the rain, a small smile graced her features, feeling safe once again. She only emerged hours later after the storm passed and her stomach growled in protest to her early breakfast.

* * *

The next week, Sakura tried to get everything in order for the party while at the same time avoiding Kakuzu. Pein, Konan, Itachi, and Kisame all returned on time and without any injuries earlier that week. Pein gave her a cat faced ANBU mask while Konan gave her nail polish. When Kisame presented her with her own sword, it drew looks from the other members as she waved it around excitedly, wanting to use it immediately during a training session.

Once everything was in place and the Akatsuki members sat down for dinner on the night of the party, Sakura smiled brightly as Pein allowed her to do everything. "We're all here to celebrate Itachi-san's first year with the Akatsuki! Since we're rarely all together, this is in the hopes for many more years to come and for the success of the organization!"

Everyone knew that the party was for Sakura's benefit more than anyone else's but it was nice to have the members in one spot for a change. It was a reminder that they were a team even though they had their own partners. When two Jounin brought out the cake and passed a piece to each member, Sakura took Itachi's present from under her chair and walked around the table to hand it to him.

"This is for training me and to celebrate your first year with us. I hope you like it, Itachi-san."

"Thank you, Sakura." Opening the box, Itachi remembered it as his Sharingan had caught a glimpse of it when they passed by the window. To know that Sakura went back to the village just to get him the necklace filled him with gratitude while also confirming that Sakura was already completely attached to the Uchiha.

"Hey! Where was my present midget?"

"I gave you a present! You just didn't like it because you're old!"

"Old?! Just how old do you think I am?!"

Shrugging, Sakura all but skipped back to her seat, barely keeping her tongue in her mouth.

Kisame shook his head at the pink haired trouble maker and grinned.

As the sound of rain fall reached their ears and Kakuzu excused himself first, Sakura reached back under her seat and brought out four identical boxes. "These are to thank everyone for the wonderful presents you've given me over the years. I can't imagine living anywhere else but with the Akatsuki."

Handing a box to each of the remaining members except Itachi with a hug, Sakura waited for them to open the box. For Kisame, it was thirty feet of colorful bandages that Sakura and drawn on, supposedly for Samehada. Sasori received her first attempt at making a puppet. He could only tell it was supposed to be him by the red hair on the top of the puppet's head. Konan opened her box to find a hair pin in the shape of a blue flower while Pein received a placard with the phrase "the stars are hidden on a rainy night."

* * *

When everyone retired to their rooms, Sakura went to sleep peacefully but sometime during the night, she was wretched out of her slumber by the unmistakable sound of thunder. Shooting up from her bed, Sakura sat up and cupped her ears while closing her eyes. She couldn't go upstairs while Kakuzu was still in the house. Waiting out the storm was once again her only option. Her body tense, Sakura brought her knees up to her chest defensively and chanted 'it's okay' over and over again in her head.

After almost half an hour, the storm only worsened as the harsh wind rattled her closed window and more lightning struck the ground. There was no helping it. Opening her eyes, she saw another flash of light which caused her to bite her cheek to keep from yelping. Creeping out of her room, Sakura padded lightly down the hall to Itachi's room. Knocking on the door as loud as she dared, Sakura shifted from one foot to the other while she clenched and unclenched her fists.

When Itachi opened his door with his red Sharingan eyes, Sakura shifted again nervously, her body tensing for the next thunder crash. "Itachi-san…can I sleep here tonight?" Unsure her voice came out weakly as Sakura silently prayed he would let her.

After a beat of silence, filled only by the sound of rain, Itachi moved to the side and blinked his Sharingan away; inviting her in. Once Sakura was inside, Itachi closed the door quietly and addressed her. "Is there a reason it has to be me?"

"Well…Kakuzu-san is here so I can't go upstairs." She started as she calmed down slightly. "Sasori-san won't let me into his room because there are too many poisons lying around and Kisame-san's bed barely fits himself let alone another person."

Giving a slight nod at her reasoning, Itachi gracefully walked to his bed and pulled the sheets for her.

"Thank you Itachi-san." Settling in, Sakura relaxed further even though another flash of lightning streaked through the sky and illuminated the room.

"Hn." Getting into bed next to her, Itachi gave her enough room so that their bodies didn't touch. However, she had other ideas as she purposely broke through the small space between them and burrowed herself into his side. Looking down at her pink hair in surprise, Itachi brought a hand up to his collarbone to touch the necklace under his shirt. Turning to his side, Itachi tentatively put his arm around the younger girl and closed his eyes; silently hoping that getting closer to her wouldn't backfire.

* * *

_Months later_

Itachi and Kisame were a day away from leaving on another mission. To Kisame's enjoyment and Itachi's unaffected demeanor, it meant that it was time for another one of Sakura's attempts at keeping Itachi at the base. The entire ordeal could have been avoided if Itachi simply gave her something of his for the time being but for some reason the Uchiha refused to give into her wishes.

Her first attempt was when she ran up to Itachi for a hug. Once her arms were around his waist, she forced chakra into her hands to send an order to sleep to his brain. When Itachi almost immediately collapsed to the ground, Sakura jumped back, slightly surprised that it had worked. Her victory was short lived, however, when the unconscious Itachi poofed away.

The real Itachi appeared in front of her a second later. "Sakura, I assure you, I won't die during this mission."

After her failure, Sakura refused to give up that easily and her hand turned a pale green with chakra as she tried to use her knowledge in medical jutsu to incapacitate Itachi. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't touch him. She tried everything throughout the day; clones, traps, and even training but Itachi was too fast for her. Seeing through each one of her tricks with only a glance, Itachi constantly managed to stay five steps ahead of her.

Finally, after a day of nonstop chakra and various tactics, Sakura slouched on the couch in the living room and sighed.

"Sakura, you can try any technique you want, why only medical jutsu?"

Looking up at Itachi's regal form, Sakura's frown deepened as if the answer were obvious. "I don't want to risk hurting someone and I don't want to destroy the house."

Nodding, Itachi was quite proud that Sakura had the foresight to control herself and her abilities. She was very mature for her age and while Itachi could put a stop to everything, he chose not to because it forced her to think of new ways to trap him. He viewed it as a type of test of her abilities and of what she learned so far. As she was improving rapidly in almost all areas that he taught her and showed versatility in her tactics, Itachi was satisfied with his test for now.

As no one else was around, Itachi knelt in front of Sakura and poked her forehead playfully. "I assure you, I won't die on this mission." His lips quirked upwards as Sakura rubbed her forehead with a pout.

"Alright Itachi-san, if you promise to return, I'll stop for now." Patting her head, Itachi stood and held his hand out for her as they still had more ninjutsu training.

* * *

**A little fluffy moment between the two as Itachi shows his softer side exclusively to Sakura. I hope I explained by reasoning behind Itachi's cold behavior in this chapter. So, please forgive him!**

**Please review! It gets me through hard chapters and writers block. Next up: More fluff and a training session!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sakura: 10**  
**Itachi: 15**

**Thank you to everyone who left a review! Lets me know you care. :D Also, yay! Progress is being made!**

**Question one: If Sakura has an affinity for water, why doesn't Kisame train her?  
Very good question. I'm having Itachi train her because Kisame isn't the teaching type and he can't really control himself without someone watching him. Also, Itachi has a wider range of ninjutsu and he's more patient. Kisame and Sakura would have ended up verbally abusing each other...Kisame is a meanie face, I know.**

**Question two: Does Pein approve of Kisame giving Sakura the sword?  
Uh...haha. I would say yes because she liked it so much but no because she was waving it around, wanting to train. In my fic, I wanted Pein to care about her happiness with the Akatsuki as well as her safety.**

**To those who can't wait for Deidara, I can't wait to start writing Deidara either. He'll make his comic appearance in the next chapter. :)**

* * *

"Now, Sakura, this attack takes quite a bit of chakra and was created by the Uchiha clan."

Nodding, Sakura readied herself for the new attack. After having learned quite a few water techniques, Itachi agreed to move on to fire attacks. As expected, Itachi was the best choice for a teacher to Sakura as Kisame was only proficient in water attacks and wouldn't have been able to control himself as well as Itachi could.

They had spent the better part of the day training. He oversaw the ninjutsu she learned so far and gave her pointers for how she could improve them.

Showing her the hand signs, Itachi stood next to her as he released a fair sized fireball just so she could see how it was done. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and the fireball as it cut through trees, leaving a trench in its wake. She was always awed when he did any technique. It was almost like an art to watch Itachi perform a jutsu. He had a grace and ease to him and his movements that Sakura knew was more than just from his abilities or his Sharingan.

Doing as Itachi instructed, Sakura performed the necessary hand signs and blew chakra into her fist for the great fireball attack. Failing in her first attempt, Sakura coughed repeatedly, having used too little chakra for the attack. She had underestimated the C-rank technique.

"Try again." Itachi observed from her right as she once again made the hand seals and converted her chakra to fire. Cutting the continuous stream, Sakura watched as a small orb of fire appeared in front of her. But, it didn't move from its spot a few feet from them.

"Again. This time use more chakra and don't cut off the fire." Nodding, Sakura focused her mind and her chakra for her next attack. Itachi never moved from his position even as Sakura blew out a roaring fireball without much care for control.

His red eyes noticed her sagging shoulders and nodded in approval at her first few attempts at the great fireball technique. A genin shouldn't have enough chakra for the attack and as it was used as a rite of passage in the Uchiha clan, it had a special meaning for Itachi to teach Sakura the great fireball. As the fire died down, leaving a small crater in the ground, Itachi was quite proud of her improvement as a ninja. She was a fast and dedicated learner, trusting herself with him as they trained; Sakura took his suggestions and tips to heart, desiring to improve.

Allowing Sakura a moment to regain her equilibrium, Itachi faced her and inclined his head, signaling her to start. The first thing she did was create a shadow clone. Ah, so she was relying on water attacks he thought as he blocked one of the punches and another kick. Her movements were deliberate as she used one clone to distract while the other started gathering chakra and performed the hand signs for the great fireball. Instead of combating with his own fire attack, Itachi avoided the flames, wanting to play with what she had planned.

Sakura never disappointed him while they were training. She always had one or two tricks that she thought of during an exercise that was surprisingly strategic for someone her age. However, it did make sense when he accounted for the fact that she read anything and everything. He allowed her to move him with her attacks, dodging yet another controlled great fireball; Itachi knew she wasn't going to have enough chakra for another.

It wasn't surprising when her clone then helped her by using a water seal to make a sizeable body of water to work with. The water flooded the square she made with the trenches of the four great fireballs. Itachi mentally gave her a point for her forethought.

This wasn't about winning or losing, it was about her tactical and ninjutsu abilities and improvements. She was at least two steps ahead in her planning. Reading her movements with his Sharingan, Itachi prepared for her water fang bullet. As predicted, he was soon surrounded by cyclones of water which then shot out to him from all directions.

Allowing them to hit the water clone he made, Itachi dispatched her shadow clone with his other water clone and attacked Sakura with a kunai. He purposely slowed himself so that she would be able to track his movements but still have to fight to match his speed. She barely ducked under the blade and when Sakura swiped at his feet, he easily vaulted over her.

From his left, his water clone blew out a great fireball towards the pink haired girl.

* * *

Sakura pushed herself at every training session that they had. She didn't feel the need to defeat Itachi or the Sharingan. All she wanted was to practice, to hone her skills and become a Kunoichi worthy of the Akatsuki.

Itachi obviously knew what she was going to do before she even thought of the plan and he was holding himself back considerably. From the training sessions she saw between Itachi and Kisame, she knew that the two missing-nin were often too fast to even read.

Ducking under Itachi's kunai, Sakura swung her foot out to get him off balance. When he simply leapt over her crouched form, she rose to go after him but her attention was drawn to her right, at a giant fireball. Raising a wall of water to slow it down, Sakura heard the steam as the water evaporated from the powerful attack. Getting out of the way, Sakura used the steam to obscure her hand signs for water clones.

Making a water shark bomb, Sakura used one water clone to lay down a trap, while the other attacked Itachi's clone. She fought off one Itachi with a kunai and taijutsu in order to preserve chakra. Though she was learning about poisons, Sakura never used them during training, not that she could even hit Itachi. He blocked or dodged every attack and when they took to the surrounding trees, it became even harder to follow him and his movements.

Sweat beaded on her brow and dripped down the back of her neck. She was running low on chakra fast and her two water clones were stretching it to the limit. Eyes completely focused, Sakura ignored the blast from below as her water clone blew up with Itachi's shadow clone. If only she had more chakra, she could have seen her entire plan through. Sadly, her attempts at the great fireball and setting up the water she needed took more effort than she had originally thought it would.

Flipping in the air, Sakura avoided the shuriken he threw and had to quickly push off a branch in order to escape the next volley. Itachi read her movements perfectly. Running down a tree with chakra on her feet, Sakura tied her chakra around the kunai in her hand and threw it towards Itachi. When he deflected the attack, Sakura pulled the chakra string down sharply to hit Itachi from the back. The water from the clone fell from mid-air as her kunai went through it. Sakura skidded to a stop and jumped off the tree to land on the ground, all the while looking around frantically for Itachi. Her mind raced, wondering if she had been fighting a clone the entire time.

The pink haired girl sprinted to the body of water and calmed herself, relying on all of her senses to find Itachi. Before she could even think of turning around, the blade of a kunai touched her neck and she froze, as a shiver went down her spine. Calm she reminded herself, Itachi wouldn't hurt her.

The last water clone she had appeared from her hiding spot in the water and pressed her own kunai to Itachi's back. Sakura used the opportunity to duck down below the blade to save herself. Did she…actually beat Itachi? Sakura had three seconds of triumph before she was trapped in a water prison technique. Out of chakra and knowing that this was the end of it, Sakura's water clone fell away in defeat. The prison around her lost its form and she was caught by the arm before she could get wet.

Giving a smile to Itachi in thanks, Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow with her free hand.

* * *

Itachi practically held her up after she exhausted herself. He was actually proud of her. As a 10 year old, Sakura had years ahead of her to hone and perfect her skills. Everyone she went up against would underestimate her abilities and that was where her advantage was. She still had a long way to go but she had promise.

Since he was teaching her a destructive technique, Itachi moved their training area farther from the base so as not to attract attention. In the shape she was in, Sakura was in no condition to return. It was either give Sakura a chance to rest or carry her back. Unfortunately, they had been at it for a while and the sun started to hang lower in the sky. Wordlessly, Itachi let her arm go long enough to maneuver himself in front of her and bent down so she could get on his back.

When she hesitated, Itachi looked over his shoulder. "It'll be dark soon." When she still made no move to get on his back and instead shifted from one foot to the other, Itachi continued. "You promised Kisame dango before we left tomorrow."

Sakura stepped closer and put her arms around his neck. Holding the back of her knees at his waist, Itachi stood, effortlessly taking her weight. Her head was to his left, resting on her arm, reminding him of the days when he would carry Sasuke on his back. Sasuke, the little brother who was probably training just as hard to defeat the only family he had left.

Since there was no rush other than the setting sun, Itachi walked, giving her some time to relax and him some time to reflect.

"Itachi-san?"

"Hn."

"Why is it that you don't get me anything while you're away on missions?"

"Why do you want something Sakura?"

She took a short pause to ponder the question before responding. "So that I would have something to remember you by while you're away."

"How do you remember your training?"

"I've learned it; I've committed everything to memory."

"You don't need anything to remind you of what you learned?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer but realized what he was trying to say.

"You don't need me to give you something to remember me."

She was silent for but Itachi felt the tension in her body. She was thinking of something and he could tell it wasn't something good.

* * *

Sakura couldn't help but question the possibility of his death. Memories were kept fresh through new memories and sensory reminders. His earthy evergreen scent was all she could smell and already she associated the smell with him. It was unique, masculine. She breathed deeply, always wanting it connected to Itachi who was almost like an older brother to her. If he didn't keep her emotionally at arm's length, she was sure he would have been a brother figure as much as Sasori or Kisame.

There was no way to get around it, the threat was too high and she couldn't lose any of the Akatsuki. Not after Orochimaru's defection and Kabuto's betrayal. She had been closest to Kabuto out of the Jounin; Sakura couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose one of her close Akatsuki members.

"What if you get hurt during your mission?" Sakura asked in a quiet voice.

Itachi continued to walk as if he hadn't heard her question. His pace was constant and Sakura was about to ask again when Itachi finally answered. "Everyone who lives will die, Sakura. That is just the way life works. When I die, I don't want you to mourn for me or seek revenge. Cherish the moments you have alive with the people around you."

Her arms tightened around him as she fought with the undeniable truth he spoke. Closing her eyes, Sakura wished moments like this with her loved ones would last forever.

* * *

Itachi quickened his pace and leaped up to a tree in order to get back to the base faster. The air cooled around them as the sun dipped below the horizon, creating a red and orange hue. Soon, he became aware of Sakura's even breathing as she fell asleep on his back. Her presence reminded him of what he couldn't afford to have, an emotional connection. His own words echoed in his mind. "When I die, I don't want you to mourn for me or seek revenge."

Itachi never got to bury his parents or mourn for them. He killed them out of necessity to protect the village but they were still his parents. He had loved them and if it was possible for him, he wished that things could have been different. He didn't want to cause another person any more pain. Itachi was a pacifist by nature, killing only when it was necessary. Living through the Third Shinobi War and becoming an ANBU captain, Itachi witnessed more death and violence to last even a Shinobi's life.

Sakura deserved more than what he could offer her. At best, Itachi had a little less than a decade to live. Soon, Sasuke would seek him out. He didn't want her to go after Sasuke in return. Itachi was wise enough to know that violence only begat more violence. Revenge as a reason for being destroyed the pursuer more than the target. However, he had faith that Sasuke would be able to rise up from the path Itachi had set him on.

* * *

Sasori left the day before to get supplies for his puppets and for Sakura's poison lessons. Kakuzu was probably out getting hearts while Pein and Konan took a small break from their missions and stayed at Amegakure, the Village Hidden by Rain. Itachi and Kisame on the other hand were going on a 2 month long mission to the Land of Earth.

After Itachi returned with Sakura, she had awoken long enough to bathe and eat. While Sakura and Kisame were discussing her training with Itachi, he excused himself to retire for the night. Lying in bed, Itachi looked up at the ceiling and finally rested his Sharingan. Blinking hard a few times, Itachi looked around his room with dark grey eyes. Closing his strained eyes, Itachi rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger and sighed.

Falling into a restless sleep, Itachi's mind went back to a night he would never forget.

_"You are not even worth killing. Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me…and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life." His voice was like that of a reaper, cruel and deadly. His hands were wet, warm, and sticky with blood. The blood of his clan coated his fingers. His eyes were harsh even though he wanted to claw out the very bloodline that caused all of this destruction._

_A nameless Shinobi who protects peace within its shadow. That is a true Shinobi. Itachi felt the blade he wielded go through flesh and bone while they screamed or gasped in pain. He tried to make it quick, a small comfort and excuse for killing his entire family. It didn't change the fact that Itachi, a so called pacifist murdered a clan in one night. His sense of duty and lawfulness to his village outweighed the lives of his family members. To prevent discord, Itachi gave himself up to the darkest deed he had ever had to do as a Shinobi, and the hardest._

_A tear fell down Itachi's cheek as the tomoe of his Sharingan swirled. He imagined being stuck in tsukuyomi himself and instead of being tortured by physical wounds, this night would forever scar him emotionally and mentally. Helplessness permeated his entire being as he watched each member of his clan fall by his hands. Over and over again, Itachi witnessed his mother, father, aunts, and uncles lifelessly drop to the ground around him. Every one of them had a look of pure betrayal and anguish cast over their eyes just before they died._

_His knees met the wooden floors as he collapsed. Tears fell freely as a pool of blood reached him and stained his clothes as well; Itachi looked at his hands and trembled. There was so much blood. It was the only color he could see in the moonlight. His skin glistened with sweat as he continued to shake._

_Something drew Itachi's attention away from himself and when his eyes landed on an eight year old Sasuke, Itachi froze. Sasuke was protector of the peace and Itachi was hidden in his shadow. Everything that was good in Itachi started with Sasuke. He was the hero Itachi could never be to Konoha. Guilt crushed his chest as he saw Sasuke's eyes fill with tears. Each drop that fell was like a blow to Itachi's heart. "You are not even worth killing. Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me…and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life."_

Sweat covered Itachi's bare chest as his necklace shined from the moonlight streaming into his bedroom. Getting out of bed, Itachi walked towards the bathroom and splashed water on his face. Looking up into the mirror with droplets of cold water falling from his hair and chin, Itachi stared into his normal eyes. His knuckles turned white from gripping the edge of the sink, trying to regain his composure. It was the first time he ever had a nightmare about the night of the Uchiha massacre.

It was a reminder to Itachi that some things couldn't be buried and that he wasn't a machine. Even his brain needed to process the events of such a traumatic night. The nightmare was also a reminder that Itachi was a man with limits. No matter what his abilities were or how smart he was, Itachi was still just a man, killable, vulnerable, and breakable. He knew better than anyone what his limits were and he knew he had been pushing it for a while now. Keeping his Sharingan up almost constantly was taking a toll on his sight. His vision blurry, he could discern and make out only shapes.

Unable to sleep after his nightmare, Itachi pulled on a clean shirt and silently exited his room. In this Akatsuki base, his room was next to Sakura's, at the end of the corridor. After she repeatedly sought him out during thunderstorms, Pein had allowed her to move her room farther from the staircase and next to his. Passing by his…pupil? Student? Pain in the ass? He didn't really know what Sakura was to him. Their relationship was hard to label as they weren't really friends either. Passing her room, Itachi continued on past Sasori and then Kisame's bedrooms as well.

He saw through the darkness clearly and as Itachi descended the stairs, he heard a muffled clattering coming from the kitchen. Curious as to who was up at such a late hour, Itachi walked through the open door and saw an unmistakable head of pink hair.

* * *

White powder coated Sakura's dark blue shirt as she stirred the ingredients together. Specks and smudges of white marked her face when she brushed her forearm on her forehead. As Sakura progressed in taijutsu and ninjutsu, Pein decided she was old enough to know the basic poisons and start strengthening her immunity and tolerance towards them. As always, Sasori was patient with her, giving her instruction on how long to mix ingredients and how to spread it evenly along a kunai so that it couldn't be seen. He also taught her how versatile concoctions could be as they could range from a mild sedative or numbing agent to a poison deadly enough to kill 10 men within a minute. It was quite frightening to know that almost any weapon could have traces of poison on it.

Taking out a small vial, Sakura poured the colorless and odorless liquid into the mixing bowl and smiled, confident that this batch was going to be the perfect one. Sakura had been working tirelessly for two hours, completely focused on the task at hand. Her failed, tasteless attempts were left on the side in a small hill.

"Are you planning on sleeping tonight, Sakura?"

At the unexpected voice, Sakura jumped and whipped around in surprise on the little stand she was on in order to cook comfortably. Her pink hair was pulled up in a messing ponytail and her green eyes were wide when she saw Itachi. She made sure that everyone was asleep before she went to the kitchen so that no one would bother her. She was also sure that it was about 3 or 4 in the morning. "Uh…Itachi-san. What are you doing up?"

"…."

"I-I wanted to make you and Kisame-san dango before the mission."

"Hn."

"…Did I wake you?"

"Hn."

Usually Sakura could discern what Itachi meant from her practice at communicating with Sasori and Pein but it was different somehow. Itachi stood behind the counter, he appeared to be no different than any other time and yet he was quieter than usual.

"Your dango is rising." Sure enough, when Sakura returned to the stove, the little balls were rising to the surface of the simmering water, indicating that they were ready. Carefully scooping them out, Sakura placed them on a plate to cool.

"I know it won't be fresh by morning but I wasn't sure when the two of you were leaving." Sakura spoke with her back turned as she turned the stove off and started skewering the dango. When she was met with silence, Sakura continued though she was unsure of what to say. "My…mother used to make me dango every week. I don't remember much about life in Konoha but I remember watching from the counter while she cooked."

Itachi's continued silence was somewhat awkward but she didn't want a silence between them. "My parents were civilians, life at home was peaceful and I didn't have to worry about missions or fighting."

"Do you miss it?"

She shook her head as she started to glaze the dango. "I miss my parents but I don't regret living here. I would rather be with the Akatsuki than at Konoha. I owe Pein-sama so much for saving me and for teaching me how to be a Kunoichi. You as well, Itachi-san. I don't know what I would have done without everyone.

"Why would you choose this over a peaceful life?"

Sakura contemplated that as she brought the finished dango around and stepped off of the little stool with the plate. Taking it to the counter, she placed the five sticks of dango in front of Itachi and smiled. "The Akatsuki is my family. I only had my parents. If I returned to Konoha, there would have been no one to take me in. Besides, I believe in Pein-sama. I want peace to be for everyone as well."

"Fighting and violence only begets more violence."

Sakura looked up at Itachi, shock written across her face at the blatant argument against what Pein was fighting for. "Pein-sama saved me when Konoha ninja, my own fellow villagers didn't. I owe him much more than my life. He took me in when I was weak and made me strong."

"Do you hold a grudge against them?"

Sakura shifted from one foot to the other before replying. "No. I used to. Then I realized that the only ones to blame are the bandits who stole from us."

Itachi nodded, accepting that answer for now. Sakura was still very impressionable and she still believed Pein to be the greatest in the world.

"Itachi-san, why don't you try one before Kisame-san comes down and eats all of it?" Sakura needed to change the subject. It was obvious Itachi didn't agree with her decision which caused her to doubt herself. But she shouldn't, Pein was right. There needed to be peace in the world and Pein was the only one with a plan to do it. She needed to help Pein to pay him back for everything he did for her.

Itachi brought one to his lips and ate the first piece of dango slowly. A few seconds after he swallowed however, he fell to the ground with an audible thump. Sakura jumped and rushed over to him, making sure that he was still breathing. She didn't think the poison would work that fast.

She ran around the kitchen, moving things and cleaning up after herself and setting down a different batch just for Kisame. When she walked back to where Itachi had fallen, he wasn't there. Sakura frowned in confusion before hanging her head in defeat. Of course he would have a shadow clone. "How did you know, Itachi-san?"

"You always try what you learned to prevent me from leaving and I saw you add the poison."

Sakura turned around to see a perfectly conscious Itachi and sighed. "I'm sorry Itachi-san, I had to try."

"Sakura, I won't die on this mission, I assure you."

Sakura looked up at him and forced a half smile. "If I promise not to interfere from you leaving for a mission, will you promise to always come back?"

* * *

Itachi studied her, trying to determine what she saw in him. No one cared for his life as much as she did. He didn't know how to comfort people or how to reassure them that everything would be okay when it really wasn't. Itachi just wasn't much of a people person and he was definitely not empathetic enough to understand what she wanted from him. "Alright, Sakura. I promise."

Still covered in white powder from the dango, Sakura hugged Itachi tightly, wrapping her arms around his waist, barely reaching his collarbone. Itachi returned the hug loosely and looked down at the disheveled pink head of hair. His thoughts went back to his nightmare and of the blood he still had on his hands. He didn't deserve someone like Sakura; someone innocent and naïve, trusting him and relying on him.

Her attachment to him was slowly easing him; making it seem as though he was atoning for what he did to his family. She came to him when there was a thunderstorm, when she needed guidance and though he tried to keep her at arm's length, she had somehow gotten close to him. He actually cared about her safety and what she did. He enjoyed that she tried her best at everything and took nothing for granted. But more than that, he wanted her to look up to him, to not care so much about fighting but instead live her life peacefully, without having to spill blood to stay alive. He wanted all of that for Sasuke but since it was now impossible for him to do so, he wanted it for Sakura.

When they finally parted from their hug, Itachi patted her head and made his way back to his room in order to prepare for his next mission with Kisame.

* * *

Sakura stood in the kitchen alone after watching Itachi's retreating back. She felt like an inconvenience or a nuisance to Itachi. She was always in his way and sometimes she feared that he didn't like her. Out of everyone in the Akatsuki, including Kakuzu, Itachi was the most distant. She didn't understand why he felt the need to continuously push her away but it hurt every time he did. Whenever she asked to stay in his room, she always dreaded hearing him deny her. He wasn't a brother figure like Kisame and he wasn't a warm mentor like Pein.

Sakura wondered if he even liked her sometimes. Sasori and Kisame would tell her that Itachi did in fact enjoy her presence but she was never sure. Even Sasori, who was a puppet, had more warmth than Itachi.

Her thoughts soon turned back to her conversation with the Uchiha. Sakura did owe Pein her life and she owed him her loyalty as well. She wondered why Itachi, who didn't seem to have the same views as Pein decided to join the Akatsuki. She knew that Kisame did so because he was genuinely loyal to Pein and so was Konan. Kakuzu as the treasurer of the Akatsuki enjoyed the freedom the organization afforded him to do anything he wanted in his spare time without having to worry about other things. Sasori, she knew once joined the organization because he felt indifferent to what he did with his long life. As time passed, Sasori got closer with the other members, especially Orochimaru but once Orochimaru defected from the Akatsuki, Sakura discovered that the main reason he stayed was because he cared for her. While he didn't express much interest in Pein's plans, Sasori still chose to stay with the organization.

Sakura wanted to be like them, fighting for something and helping the people around her. However, as she started thinking about the motives the other members had, she wondered if her motive for wanting to fight was from her obligation to Pein or because she truly believed that peace could be made through destruction and weapons. From her readings of the Great Shinobi Wars, Sakura knew that war was felt by everyone, not just ninja.

* * *

**I know Sakura is a little young for this kind of thinking but I wanted her to question her view of the future and Konoha so that she isn't all about killing and destruction. She'll still become a ninja for them but she'll also be somewhat of a pacifist due to Itachi's influence.**

**Please forgive me for the late chapter, I've just finished school and am now on my break. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the new chapter. And as always, reviews are much appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sakura: 11  
****Itachi: 16**

**The moment we've all been waiting for! Deidara's entrance. Slightly different due to Sakura, of course.**

**Right now I'm contemplating the direction of the story and I figured I would leave it up to a vote for you, my dear readers. Sakura is about to go on a mission that will determine the next few chapters. The choices are, 1. She stays with the Akatsuki or 2. She returns to Konoha either willingly or not. I don't want to give away everything so I'll just leave it that vaguely. Every vote counts so leave a review with what you want to see happen to Sakura and Itachi. I have my own ideas of where and how I want the story progress but if enough people vote for something completely different, I will try to incorporate that as well.**

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and feedback, you guys keep me going. :)**

* * *

Sakura watched from her regular seat on the rooftop of the compound as Itachi and Kisame sparred. Sakura was momentarily mesmerized, her eyes never leaving the expressionless Uchiha as he flipped in the air. Itachi was still her teacher and mentor but they trained less and less it seemed. Sakura actually missed having him teach her new techniques and push her to the limit every day. As Sakura held the Sasori puppet the puppeteer had made for her, she hoped he was safe on his mission alone. They'd changed bases yet again so that they were constantly moving and wouldn't draw suspicion to themselves. This particular one was more isolated than the rest, hidden naturally by the forest and rocks around them.

Suddenly hearing her name called from below, Sakura stood abruptly, not having noticed Pein's arrival. "Yes, Pein-sama?" She also noticed that the fighting stopped as Pein came out of the house to address the three of them. Sakura had cut her hair because of the unbearable heat and her pink locks only went to her shoulders. She wore a black mesh shirt covered with a red one and short dark pants with Akatsuki clouds on them which Pein and Konan had given to her when they moved.

"We've found a potential Akatsuki member. Once Sasori returns, I want the three of you to accompany him to the meeting point. Deidara will be Sasori's partner; his talents should prove to be very useful." She was delighted to hear that Sasori would be getting a new partner but she had no idea who Deidara was. She hoped that the two would get along well but to be honest, anyone was better than Kakuzu.

"Heh. Deidara huh? I've heard about him." Kisame said, placing a wrapped Samehada on his shoulder. Sakura jumped off of the rooftop to stand besides Kisame with a smile. The last time she went to one of the meetings was when Itachi joined more than three years ago. It was always a treat to welcome a new Akatsuki member.

"Yes, leader." Itachi's tone was emotionless as he stood without a hint of dirt or sweat on him. She was always bewildered by how he stayed so pristine all of the time. Kisame and Itachi were fighting for more than thirty minutes and yet, Itachi appeared to be unmarred.

"If he can't be persuaded, kill him." Pein turned his attention to Sakura and held out his hand for her. She took it immediately and followed his lead back into the house. They passed Konan in the kitchen as they entered and Sakura waved happily next to Pein but matched his steps. They leisurely passed Jounin and took the stairs towards her room instead of his. "Sakura."

"Yes, Pein-sama?" She all but skipped, excited at the prospect of meeting a new member.

"You are an observer in this. You're not to do anything rash."

"Yes, Pein-sama." She was always an observer, and she knew this time would be no different. If the potential member was worthy enough to join Akatsuki, she wouldn't be able to contend with him. He escorted her into her room and closed the door causing her to look up at him curiously. He hardly needed to speak to her privately and she didn't know what would warrant such a thing.

"You've shown great improvement Sakura." Pein was always direct. His words were never for someone else's benefit or to waste time. She blushed slightly at the compliment and her furrowed eyebrows swiftly turned into a brilliant smile.

"I want you to go on your first mission in a few weeks. Ask one of the other members to accompany you."

Speechless, Sakura's eyes grew wide. Most ninja her age were in three man teams, with a Jounin to watch over them or still in the Academy. Going on a mission with just one other ninja was extraordinary. She didn't know if she was ready for something like that but she was finally going to be useful to the Akatsuki. "Thank you, Pein-sama. I won't let you down."

"I know." Pein placed his hand on her shoulder, and gave it a slight squeeze to reassure her. After a short pause, Pein continued. "You're ready for this Sakura. Whoever you choose will assist you and the mission won't be that difficult."

Sakura simply nodded, anticipation coursing through her more than the nervousness or the fear. She was ready, and she knew who she was going to ask to go with her. She only hoped that he would accept.

* * *

Pein stepped out of Sakura's room and calmly walked further up to his own room. Sakura's first test was about to begin and he wanted nothing more than to see her pass. Six years of training and careful planning led to this point. He didn't want all that time to go to waste.

* * *

Exactly as Pein had informed them, Sasori returned to the base in just three short days. His weeklong mission had ended without much fuss and Sakura was more excited about the new member than anyone else was. She'd learned from Kisame that Deidara had some sort of explosion release Kekkei Genkai. She was quite surprised to find out that he was also three years older than Sakura, making him closer in age to her than Itachi. She'd also learned that the recruit was from Iwagakure and was actually a student of the third Tsuchikage.

Sakura was once again reminded of the difference between Akatsuki and normal ninja and she was concerned if she could ever meet the expectations of the organization.

The four of them left the base at midday and took their time getting to the meeting place. Everyone was in their Akatsuki robes except for Sakura, who chose to go in her normal clothes since she was supposed to simply observe the encounter. Sasori went as Hiruko, in case the day ended with Deidara's death.

No words were passed in the group during their journey as Sakura worried to herself about the new member and the impending mission that Pein was going to give her. She found herself thinking about it constantly, wondering if the person she wanted to ask would say yes, who her second and third choices would be, what the mission would be, and most importantly if she could complete the mission successfully. To her knowledge, no one else in the Akatsuki knew about her assignment since no one had spoken to her about it or even mentioned an upcoming mission.

She was too busy with her thoughts to notice that both Kisame and Hiruko were giving her odd looks while Itachi led the group without looking back even once.

When they finally arrived at the familiar meeting place, Sakura hid herself in the rafters nearest to Itachi as he relaxed his eyes and deactivated his Sharingan. Hiruko was in the middle with Kisame to his left as they faced the door to wait for Deidara.

The sun was setting when a figure confidently sauntered up the stairs and into the building. From her vantage point, Sakura could see that Deidara had long blond hair which was in a half ponytail.

"Akatsuki?" Sakura leaned forward, interested in what was about to transpire. "Why would I care? You're just interfering with my affinity for art." Her head canted to the side, wondering what he was talking about.

"So, this is the kid that's supposed to be my partner?" Hiruko turned his head to speak to Itachi. "He's got some fight in him, but he seems like the type that dies young." Sakura smiled at the first impression Deidara left on Sasori.

"This was an order from our leader, so we have to make use of his abilities."

"You know of my abilities? Who…are you?" There was quite a bit of distance between the Akatsuki members and Deidara, she figured it was because the lone Shinobi was being cautious of the more dangerous ninja in the room.

"You're a bomb terrorist who's involved with anti-government organizations in multiple countries. What purpose does that hold for someone like you?" Kisame asked the question nonchalantly, not particularly caring in the response.

"Purpose? There is no purpose. I just blow stuff up when people ask me to, using my creations, hn."

"Creations?" It was obvious that Sasori, as an artist and the partner for Deidara would take an interest in what Deidara was so proud of.

"That's right." Deidara produced something that resembled a pig in Sakura's opinion in the palm of his hand. "Look! There's such detail in the lines that it exceeds a two dimensional form. However, that's not all there is to my art. My creations come to life. As a shape, it's nothing more than clay, hn. But it explodes!" He showed his right hand, which had a tongue coming out from his palm. Sakura frowned, having never seen anything like it in any book.

"When it explodes, it changes, and it becomes my art's true form for the first time. The only time you can see my true art is when it undergoes that change, hn!" The odd tongue licked his palm which caused Sakura to shudder in disgust. "Art…is a bang!"

There was a short pause before Sasori summed up what everyone was thinking. "Annoying."

"Is he done?" The tallest member, Kisame asked the others, uninterested in the entire spiel that Deidara went through. Sakura almost laughed from her position.

"Who knows? It doesn't matter. I'll take care of it." Itachi closed his dark eyes and when they opened again, they were red. Sakura was enamored by them as she knew that the fight was going to be very short, the outcome, unmistakable.

"You wanna go?"

"If I win, you will join Akatsuki."

"Don't underestimate me _or_ my art. My ninjutsu is nothing short of true art, hn!" As he threw the six legged pig at Itachi, Deidara yelled "Experience my art!" Sakura nearly wanted to yell out to the blond newcomer to simply give up before he made a fool of himself. How could he hope to defeat Itachi when even Kisame acknowledged that Itachi was the stronger of the two?

Itachi leaped back and when Deidara yelled "Katsu!" there was a giant explosion that made Sakura unbalanced on her ledge. Her eyebrow rose at the attack and she was relieved when Itachi landed on his feet without injury as a giant plume of dust and debris fell around the area.

A centipede like clay thing wrapped itself around Deidara from below and Sakura smirked as the loudmouth arrogantly addressed the stronger fighter. "Is that it, or are you really just all talk?"

When the blond got into his explosion pose, Sakura leaned back, happy that the fight ended without injuries. "It's over, hn!"

"Take a closer look at yourself." Itachi warned, showing Deidara that he was caught in a genjutsu.

When Deidara discovered that he had been trapped by his own attack, Sakura jumped down and landed silently on her feet.

"What?" Deidara asked as he struggled against the clay centipede.

"Just in time. If we waited just a bit more, you would've blown yourself up." She leaped to stand next to Kisame, and nodded in agreement.

"I told you this kid was the type that dies young." Sasori remarked.

"Genjutsu? When?"

"From the start. From the first moment you looked into Itachi-san's Sharingan, you were caught in his genjutsu. " Kisame informed him, taking pleasure in Deidara's complete defeat.

Deidara looked up at Itachi, almost spellbound by his abilities and the Kekkei Genkai he possessed. Sakura could understand as she too was constantly looking up to Itachi. When his attack fell limp around his feet, Deidara appeared to take the loss heavily.

"You have lost." Itachi only spoke the truth, his words weren't met to be bragging or taunting. He jumped down from his position and landed next to Hiruko, his original spot. "Sakura. You were not supposed to come down until the fight was over." Itachi chided.

Sakura stuck her head out and peered over at Itachi with a guilty smile. "But Itachi-san, the fight was over when Deidara-san challenged you to a fight."

"What? Who are you supposed to be, you little shit?"

Sakura's head whipped to the side with an almost audible crack at the insult Deidara had just given her. "Who are you calling a shit you loudmouthed second-rate artist!" Her finger pointed at Deidara, Sakura's temper flared for the first time. No one in the Akatsuki made her mad. Not even Kisame's lighthearted jabs infuriated her like the blond in front of her did.

Deidara took a step forward, his humiliation from his defeat forgotten. "How dare you! I am a true artist and my art transcends everything!"

"Your stupid little clay things can't compare to Sasori-san's puppets. Besides! Who are you to talk when Itachi-san beat you in ten seconds flat?"

"I'll blast you to Hell!" Deidara yelled as his hand dove into the pouch around his waist.

"Sakura. Stop." While Deidara's hand still chewed the clay, Sakura stood straight and bit her tongue at Itachi's command.

"I'm sorry Itachi-san." Sakura's face fell as she feared she disappointed her teacher. Kisame on the other hand laughed at the entire situation while Hiruko made his way to the door first, passing by the hot tempered Deidara.

Sakura couldn't hear the exchange of words but Sasori's low threat sent visible chills down Deidara as the puppet continued forward. A small, satisfied smile appeared on Sakura's face at the thought of Sasori threatening Deidara for her.

* * *

Itachi couldn't explain it but he was annoyed. Though outwardly showing nothing that would suggest he was uncomfortable, Itachi's irritation at both Sakura and Deidara was growing. Their banter shouldn't have concerned him and yet the longer it went on, the more he wanted to put an end to it. Itachi didn't require Sakura to defend him against the likes of Deidara. More than that, he didn't want her to. He also identified that the feeling coursing through him was more directed at Deidara than anyone else.

For the past few days, Sakura was curious about the new member, making comments about how great it was going to be to have a bigger organization and that it was about time. She was also almost overly excited about the fact that Deidara was going to be closest in age to her. The entire trip to the meeting point was also silent because Itachi suspected that Sakura was simply worrying about Deidara and what he would look like or whatever nonsense went through her head. But all of that was to be expected from the constantly curious Kunoichi. What Itachi didn't expect was for the two to hit it off in such a horribly familiar way. In the short few hours that they met, they had gotten into a fighting routine that seemed almost choreographed. If Pein was there, he would have remarked that Sakura grew comfortable with the new member even faster than she did with Itachi. He didn't know what pissed him off more or why it did.

As the sun began to set, everyone was prepared to rush back to the base before nightfall. Deidara had produced a clay bird which immediately caused apologies to spill from the young pink haired girl as she begged to ride atop it with him. It only served to make Itachi even more exasperated as Deidara reluctantly agreed and flew up with Sakura.

The group was making very good time fighting the setting sun when seemingly out of nowhere; Deidara fell off his own clay bird and straight down.

"I'll blast you to Hell!" The infuriated 14 year old yelled as he landed on his feet. Just before he could yell the command, Itachi leaped up, chakra enhancing his muscles as he picked Sakura off the neck of the bird and swung her over his shoulder by the arm. Her surprised gasp and yelp was soon drowned out by another yell from below as Kisame put a stop to Deidara's rash actions.

Sakura's weight was nothing to Itachi as he silently landed on the forest floor next to a still fuming Deidara.

"We'll stop here for tonight and return to base in the morning." Itachi's cool voice all but ordered as he carelessly dropped Sakura off his back.

Her breath came out in a quick huff as Sakura landed ungracefully on her behind.

Not wanting to exacerbate his own displeasure, Itachi went off in search of firewood. During his entire trip, Itachi couldn't identify what was annoying him so much about the duo going at each other. Unaffected by much, Itachi never had an emotional response to Sakura's relationship with any other member, including himself.

With a mental shake of his head, Itachi took his time, allowing the sun to set and the air to cool a bit before returning to the camp site.

* * *

Sakura was wrong; the new member was nothing more than a sore loser. When she informed him of the Kekkei Genkai Itachi possessed, Deidara simply remarked that everything had a weakness and that he was going to one day beat Itachi and the Sharingan. It caused Sakura to immediately defend the Uchiha and told the older boy that it was impossible for anyone to defeat Itachi. Out of everyone in the Akatsuki minus Pein, Itachi was arguably the strongest and most well rounded member of the group. Deidara in comparison was an untalented hack.

Deidara's response to the insult was to threaten Sakura and once again, claiming that he was going to defeat the Sharingan, which he now hated more than anything else for even thinking that it was better than his own art. Not wanting to hear more about his "art" Sakura kicked Deidara off the giant clay bird which was flying relatively low to the ground. She knew that Deidara wouldn't die from the fall and that he deserved whatever injuries he sustained for thinking that he could defeat Itachi. She didn't know how Sasori was going to put up with the new member when he thought his art was the best thing in the world.

While waiting for Itachi to return, Sakura and Deidara had gotten into a fight as they explained the events leading to Deidara's "loss of balance and her well timed kick". Kisame plopped himself down, leaning against a tree as Sasori came out of the puppet, revealing himself for the first time to his new partner. Sasori had suggested that he and Deidara talk since they were going to be partners. This drew the attention away from Sakura who seemed to have conflicting personalities with the former terrorist bomber.

Once Itachi returned with the firewood and got the fire started, everyone got settled in even further. Deidara and Sasori returned to the group around the fireplace and since the blond didn't want to anger anyone else, he leaned against a tree following Kisame's example and prepared to sleep.

"It seems our little pinky was defending you when she kicked Deidara off his own creation, Itachi-san." Kisame said smartly from next to Sakura.

"Hn." Itachi's short reply promptly ended the conversation with Kisame as he too sat down with one knee up to rest his arm on. His Sharingan deactivated, Itachi closed his eyes.

Sakura bounced for many topics, from how she liked Kisame and Sasori more than Deidara to her training to how she would forgive Deidara if he admitted that Itachi was the better fighter. Eventually she tired of talking and Kisame drifted off with Samehada resting on his chest.

Sakura, however, was still awake and was watching the crackling fire. She gazed up at Sasori and smiled. Since everyone else was sleeping, Sakura felt comfortable enough to speak with him.

"Pein-sama has told me that I'm going to be assigned my first mission soon. I wanted to ask Itachi-san to go with me but after today, I think he's going to say no." Her features were illuminated by the fire, giving her an ethereal glow, especially to her pink hair.

Sasori didn't respond, allowing Sakura to pick up where she left off after a short beat of silence. "I thought about asking you but with Deidara-san joining the Akatsuki, I can't take his partner…I'm just nervous Sasori-san. What if I fail? What if I can't do what Pein-sama wants me to? I'd be useless."

"If you keep thinking about possible failures, you will fail. Just keep your mind on the mission, Sakura. Leader wouldn't make you do anything you're not ready for." Sasori's voice came out steadily but Sakura could tell that he meant what he said and was at least attempting to be helpful.

"I just…don't want to disappoint anyone." She replied, in a small voice.

"On a mission, during a fight, you don't have time to think about that. You must simply have the courage to go through with it." She thought about that for a minute, liking the word courage. She could be courageous for Akatsuki and for Pein. Courage was what every Shinobi needed to get through a fight or a mission or a test. She would resolve herself with that word.

Sakura nodded, trying to quiet the concerns running rampant in her head. She leaned against Sasori, one of the people she trusted and loved most and drew strength from him.

* * *

Sasori knew Itachi wasn't sleeping. Though his eyes were closed and his breathing was even, it was too controlled, and there was a slight tension in his body that betrayed his desire to mimic sleep. Sasori however allowed Itachi to keep up the ruse as his thoughts turned to the young Kunoichi falling asleep on his side. It was no secret to anyone that Sakura was important to the red haired puppet master. However, no one probably suspected the depth of his care for the girl.

When Sasori first joined Akatsuki, he had no real reason other than that he had nowhere else to go after he became a missing nin from Suna. When he grew comfortable with the people and the setting, Sasori had no need to leave. Pein didn't ask for much and he didn't even expect absolute loyalty. Plus, he had grown somewhat complacent in his position and actually got along well with his partner, Orochimaru.

Pein had brought together those who didn't have homes, who were considered freaks and dangerous criminals. Pein gave them order and familiarity as well as comrades. When Sakura joined the Akatsuki, Sasori at first didn't care about her. She was just some orphan Pein had picked up off the street. It didn't even remind him of his own parents or give him some warm feelings towards the girl because of the similar background. In fact, Sasori didn't see much of her as she chose to stay in her room most of the time or in the library, keeping to herself.

She appeared fearful of everyone at first, clinging to Pein like he was her shield from the big, bad S-class missing nin. However, she soon changed his opinion of her when he was about to embark on a mission with Orochimaru, infiltrating a village for a scroll. Sakura had waited at the gate for them and wished them a safe journey. She spoke nothing of success or killing but simply to be careful and to return soundly. Since then she took a more active interest in the Akatsuki, coming out of her room to interact more with the members that she liked.

She cared for them more than Pein or any leader did. Though she wasn't related to them, Sakura accepted them as outwardly flawed as they were and never attempted to change them or have them conform. She accepted their faults and emotional shortcomings. Sasori also appreciated her desire to learn new things and her thirst for knowledge. He was content to have Kabuto be a brother figure for her since he was near her age. However, that all changed when Orochimaru and Kabuto defected. Sasori knew Sakura was distraught and so he attempted to fill Kabuto's shoes by teaching her of poisons and repaying some of the care she showed him earlier. If Sakura wasn't there, Sasori probably would have gone off on his own to either kill or bring back the traitors.

Brought out of his musings by a mumble from the said girl, Sasori shifted her so that she could lie down with her head on his lap. He had no body warmth for her and he didn't require the Akatsuki coat to keep him warm so he draped it over her sleeping form, absentmindedly thinking that she had a slightly large forehead.

"Itachi-san, when Sakura asks you to go with her on her mission, will you deny her?" It was a simple question and Sasori wasn't the type to beat around the bush either. He was just as direct and to the point as Itachi and Pein.

There was a long pause as Itachi slowly opened his eyes, revealing that he was in fact not asleep like the other members. "Leader has requested that I do so." Again, it was a simple answer but with it came more questions that Sasori knew Itachi either couldn't or wouldn't answer. Pein also wasn't the type to give more information than was necessary. He probably didn't explain the reason behind the order and just expected it to be followed.

If he could, Sasori would have frowned, wondering what Pein gained by having Itachi decline Sakura's request.

Sasori felt Itachi's eyes on him, carefully gauging his response no doubt. Deciding to leave it for now, Sasori took out a scroll from a compartment he had in his puppet and handed it to Itachi without jostling the girl sleeping on his lap.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Itachi-san." He began as Itachi unwrapped the scroll, gazed at the contents with black eyes and nodded once. This would be one of the last things Itachi taught Sakura. Sasori just hoped that it would be beneficial to her during the mission.

* * *

In Konohagakure, the village hidden by leaves, two Jounin kept watch at the main gates, illuminated by torches around them. The job had long hours and little entertainment or reprieve from the monotony of greeting visitors or fellow ninja. Their only silver lining was that once a month, someone would bring them pastries and bentos for their hard work. It was always a treat when Takahara Mikan came by with fresh bread and an assortment of snacks.

After the sun had set, she always came with a warm smile on her face. She took care of many Shinobi as she plied them with delicious food and a story sure to bring everyone who hears it for the first time to tears. She was a strong woman who had never given up hope in searching for her granddaughter, Haruno Sakura. Every Shinobi of the village knew the story as she attended Academy graduations as well as the Chunin exams to give each person who passed a picture of the five year old and showed them a picture of Sakura's mother. As a result, any ninja who left the village always looked for a pink haired girl matching Sakura's description.

"Takahara-san, you know you don't have to do this anymore. You must be exhausted." One of the guards said as he gratefully accepted the bento she prepared for them. She wore a black dress, presumably coming from the grave of her daughter and son-in-law. Though her pink locks had long since turned grey, she possessed the same green eyes as Sakura and her mother.

"I just appreciate all that you two do. If it wasn't for the two of you, we wouldn't have suspected anything had gone wrong until morning." She said as she handed a bento to the other Shinobi.

The two Shinobi had been at their post for many years now and knew the schedules of all reoccurring departures as well as arrivals. Sakura's parents were shop keepers and traders and the goods they transported never took more than half a day to arrive. When the watchmen noticed that their caravan was more than three hours late, they sent a scout out just in case something had gone wrong.

It was already dark by the time the Chunin had returned with the news that the Haruno family had been attacked by thieves. Immediately, any and all volunteers were sent out to investigate. It took an additional hour to discover that their daughter was missing and organize a search party. However, by then a thunderstorm had rolled in, obscuring her trail and scent. Every Shinobi not on a mission or in the hospital was sent out in search of her for the next two days. But by the second day, almost everyone had given up hope in bringing back a live five year old. There was no way for her to survive the elements alone and in case she was discovered by a traveler, the Shinobi went to nearby villages in search of her. They at least wanted to bring Mikan-san a body to bury but they couldn't even do that for the kind older woman as the searches ended in failure.

Takahara Mikan was the type of grandmother everyone wanted. As the years grew by, Haruno Sakura would have simply became a lost civilian to the ninja but the efforts of her grandmother made everyone think of her on a mission. Already, six years had passed. Six years of Genin, Chunin, and Jounin looking for the girl with pink hair but no one found her. No one had even gotten a glimpse of her or a hint that she was alive.

Now, people searched for her out of habit, out of the small glimmer of hope still in Mikan's eyes. But everyone else was sure that _if_Sakura had lived through the ordeal of her parent's death and the elements, at five years old, she would have known where she lived and would have found some way back. _If_ Haruno Sakura was alive, she purposefully chose not to return. However, no one had the heart cruel enough to tell that to Mikan.

* * *

**Here it is, a glimpse into what the Konoha of this story is like. Again, don't forget to answer the above question in a review. Sorry for the somewhat cliffhanger-like chapter. More will be revealed in the next but so will more questions.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sakura: 11**  
**Itachi: 16**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Just to answer a few questions...**

**Sakura will eventually discover the truth of Sasuke and the Uchiha massacre.**

**Sakura believed/believes that she has no family in Konoha. (all I will reveal about that for now)**

**Super strength? Perhaps. I'm crushing out the finer details of the future.**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS! After a lot of thinking and discussing with my friend, I've decided the following is the best thing for the story. I hope you all agree.**

**I've also decided that Sakura will be in the Chunin exams. Who do you want to see Sakura fight in the preliminaries? And should she go on to the finals?**

**Finally, "Itai" means ouch.**

* * *

Sarutobi Asuma moved swiftly through the forest, unhindered even with a body in his arms. He had been returning home from a B-rank mission when he happened upon a figure with pink hair. Upon seeing the unconscious and dehydrated girl on the side of the road, Asuma had immediately spat out his almost trademark cigarette. The girl was covered in dirt and wore tattered clothing, as if she were a beggar. Her sandals were also torn and ratty like she had been wearing them for more than a year. Though her shoes were well worn, the young girl still had blisters on her feet. Since Asuma didn't know any medical jutsu, he was uncertain if she was ill but from quick examination, he knew she didn't have any broken bones or wounds. She had no identifying papers or possessions but it was best to take her to Konoha immediately for medical attention.

Asuma had been involved in the search for a missing five year old Haruno Sakura, presumed dead six years ago. He wasn't the type to get his hopes up but the female in his arms roughly matched Sakura's age. There was a remote possibility, albeit improbable that the girl was Sakura. Questions sprang up in his head but he pushed them aside for now along with the uncertainties and doubts.

The sun was high in the air and the temperature was steadily going up. Even if the trees of the forest blocked most sunlight, it didn't block everything and the road was fairly open. In the distance, Asuma could literally see the sweltering heat. If he had to guess, he suspected the girl had been travelling for some time in the sun as she was slightly sunburned on her face, arms, and back where her clothes didn't cover her.

Forcing more chakra to his legs, Asuma sped up, never ceasing even to catch his breath until he arrived at the giant gates of Konoha thirty minutes later. There, he stopped abruptly and tried his best not to jostle the pink haired girl.

"You. Go get Takahara-san. Tell her to meet me at the hospital." After a shocked pause, one of the gatekeepers rushed to follow the order.

With the other guard still at his post, Asuma continued into Konoha, leaping on the rooftops until he entered the hospital with the girl cradled in his arms.

* * *

Mikan stood before the grave of her only daughter for a long moment before kneeling to brush off the leaves and dirt that had fallen on the simple tombstone. She'd never expected Tsubaki to die before her. A parent should never have to experience the death of their child. It had been too much to bear. After hearing the news, she was almost catatonic and then to hear that her only grandchild was missing was an indescribable amount of grief. For nearly a week after her disappearance, Mikan had poured her money into hiring Shinobi to find Sakura. The possibility that her grandchild was alive kept her from spiraling down into a depression. Some days she contemplated finally giving up hope that Sakura would be found alive.

When a breathless Shinobi broke her out of her thoughts, she looked up at him in surprise as he attempted to regain the ability to speak. Sweat dripped down his face as he forced words out between gasps of breath. "Takahara-san…Asuma. Hospital…Sakura."

The 61 year old woman got up swiftly for her age and left the Shinobi and the graves faster than she had ever moved in over twenty years. Even though he didn't speak in complete sentences, the Chunin had said the only words that mattered. A dead body wouldn't be taken to the hospital she repeated to herself again and again as she ran.

Mikan barged in through the double doors of the hospital, drawing everyone's attention as she went straight to the counter and demanded to see Sakura.

"Takahara-san." Her head whipped to the side at the sound of her name and she watched Asuma almost leisurely stroll over to her, trying to get her to calm down. But his demeanor only made her aggravated and more impatient. She had waited desperately for this moment for the better part of six years.

"Where is she?" She interrupted his open mouth impatiently. "Take me to Sakura." When he didn't move, she pushed forward, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now Asuma."

"We don't know if she is Sakura. Right now, she's just a girl with pink hair who was unconscious on the road."

"If there's even a slight possibility that she is…" Mikan trailed off, desperation inching into her voice. She knew she should calm herself. There was no guarantee that the girl Asuma brought in was Sakura. But she couldn't help but wish that the girl was Sakura and that she was okay. After six years of relentless searching and Shinobi returning from their missions without a whisper about a girl with pink hair, she needed to believe that Sakura returned home.

"I'm sorry Takahara-san; the medics are looking over her now. She was very dehydrated and it's uncertain when she will awaken." Mikan's expression grew worried. "But, she is in room 506." With that Asuma inclined his head in a slight bow.

"Asuma-san." Mikan stopped his departure momentarily as her eyes softened, glistening with the beginnings of tears. "Thank you."

Asuma smiled and nodded his response before taking out a cigarette and leaving the hospital.

Her earlier adrenaline gone, Mikan slowly walked to the elevators and pressed the up button. Her heart was pounding in her chest, rising to a crescendo in her ears as she pressed the five on the panel and absently watched the doors close. She couldn't take any more disappointment. If the only hint of Sakura was a dead end, Mikan was sure she wouldn't have any more energy to keep searching; to keep hoping. More than anything, Mikan needed closure, but she had to be sure. She had to have faith that the girl on the fifth floor was her granddaughter until she proved otherwise.

As the elevator doors opened, the sounds of her shoes on the floor were almost as deafening as her own heart. The corridor seemed to be infinite and the people around her blurred into featureless faces. When she finally reached room 506, Mikan opened the door before she lost the nerve and the courage to face her biggest fear.

Despite Asuma's earlier claim that the medics were with her, it seemed that they had finished and left the girl to recuperate. The smell of antiseptics seemed stronger somehow and even the lights seemed brighter.

Mikan quietly closed the door and stepped closer to the prone figure on the bed. Her pink locks were indeed quite close to her family trait. She had no personal effects other than her clothes which were on the counter next to her. The covers were up to her neck so Mikan couldn't see much of her other features but as she inspected the girls face, she noticed similarities to Tsubaki, Sakura's mother and Jin, Sakura's father.

Mikan supposed her brain could have been tricking her, forcing her to see what she so desperately wanted to see. Or the girl could be trying to trick her for some reason. However, she was depleted of chakra, not enough to sustain a transformation jutsu while unconscious. Her hair wasn't dyed as the medics had cleaned her up somewhat judging by the filth on her clothes and the fact that there wasn't a mark on the girl. There were bags under her eyes but her brow and chin were very much like Jin's. Her ears were as well.

Mikan scrutinized her even as a very basic part of her accepted her as her own and demanded she go to her kin. But Mikan had been Kunoichi for over twenty years. She'd even risen to become a quite accomplished Jounin.

There was no such thing as retirement for a ninja. When someone was too old to successfully complete missions or wished to settle down, they were simply taken off the active roster. But that didn't mean they couldn't be called on during emergencies. When the kyuubi had attacked Konoha 11 years ago, Mikan had been called upon to help tend to the injured. She couldn't and wouldn't be made a fool of by anyone. Once the girl in the hospital bed woke up, she would ask her some questions and then determine what the truth was. There would be no relief until she was sure the girl was Sakura.

She prayed for the girl's sake that this wasn't a ruse or some type of deception. Since Mikan had seen for herself what the girl looked like, she would find the medic who had healed her and ask what state she was in when Asuma brought her to Konoha. As she turned to leave, she swore she heard the girl say "Itai." Wondering if the young girl was in pain, Mikan's green eyes flickered back to the girl's face, where her brows were drawn tightly together.

Mikan needed to be certain. Her fists clenching, she exited the room in search of the medic. She looked so much like Tsubaki. She was so much like the daughter who was ripped from her that it was as if the gods had given her another chance.

* * *

_12 Days Earlier_

_About to depart on her mission with Kisame, Sakura smiled sadly at Pein, Konan, Sasori, and Itachi. She wasn't going to see them for a while and already, she missed them terribly. This was her going away party and she'd made sure not to invite Deidara or Kakuzu. Even if Sakura quite enjoyed the fights she got into with Deidara, this was supposed to be her final moments with people she considered special, not with some egotistical idiot and a homicidal maniac._

_"Please be safe while I'm away. I won't let any of you down…I owe you all so much." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears at the thought of leaving them for a mission but it was inevitable. She needed to go through with this in order to be useful to the Akatsuki and to make Pein proud. As expected, her first mission was a difficult one by normal standards but she wasn't a normal Kunoichi she told herself. She was trained and raised by the best. She was strong. And now, she had the courage to go through with anything…at least, that was her hope._

_"Return safely and your mission will be successful. Don't engage in combat unless you absolutely have to." Konan said as she handed Sakura her pack, which she accepted gratefully and strapped on._

_Sakura brushed her hair aside and unclasped the Akatsuki necklace Konan had given her. She looked at the round black pendant with the red cloud delicately in her hand and presented it to the older woman._

_"Please give it to me once I return." She knew she couldn't take it with her as she couldn't take anything that showed her affiliation with the organization. Sakura watched as Konan took the necklace back and her eyes lingered on the group before she took a steady breath._

_Unable to stop herself, she all but threw herself into Pein's arms. "I won't let you down, Pein-sama." Pein hugged her back, brushing the back of her head with his hand for comfort. They stayed like that for a moment as Sakura forgot all about the rules of being a Shinobi._

_Releasing him from her embrace, she moved down the line to Konan, wrapping her arms around the Kunoichi. "Thank you for believing in me Konan-san."_

_"Good luck, Sakura. We'll await your return." Sakura looked up at her mother figure, a tear falling down her right cheek. She was accepted here and welcome. Konan and Pein made the Akatsuki her home._

_As Sakura gave Sasori a hug, she felt his arms go around her as well, gently enveloping her. Sasori was always kind to her, just how she always imagined a brother would be. "I'll miss you Sasori-san."_

_Sakura knew she was becoming emotional and that it was unbefitting a Kunoichi, but this was an important moment for her and she couldn't help it._

_She stepped back and turned to Itachi, the last person in the line. Barely reaching his chin, Sakura slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him even though all he did was pat her back. "Thank you for everything, Itachi-san."_

_It pained her to leave but for some reason as she hugged Itachi and was somewhat awkwardly hugged back, she realized that it was different somehow. Leaving Itachi was different than leaving the other members. Pein and Konan, she regarded as parents since they were the highest in rank and because Pein had found her. They helped her out of her grief. Kisame and Sasori, Sakura regarded them as brothers. They made her stronger, protected her, included her in banter and made her experiences in the Akatsuki brighter. Itachi was her teacher but she never called him sensei. She never thought of him as a brother but at the same time he was too aloof and distant to be considered a good friend. Looking up at his red eyes, Sakura wondered what their relationship was. What she defined him as. She'd wondered this many times but she felt as though the answer was in how she felt at that moment, about to leave for a lengthy mission._

_Her pack strapped on, Sakura strode to the door with Kisame, her face now devoid of tears. "I'll be back soon!" Sakura yelled. It was more of a promise than anything else. She would succeed in her mission and she would return to them. The door closed behind the two and she looked up at her partner for her first mission. "Thank you for coming with me, Kisame-san."_

_"Don't mention it squirt. I'm just here to make sure you stay on the right track." Samehada on his shoulder, Kisame slowed down to match Sakura's pace._

_"Are you sure going to Kirigakure won't be an issue for you?"_

_"You'll have to do that part of the mission alone."_

_Nodding, Sakura rubbed the ache in her chest a little and sighed. Awareness was creeping in and with it was dread. She couldn't possibly think that way she said to herself silently. Even if she did, nothing would happen because he didn't feel anything for her. In the three years that she knew Itachi, she was unable to crack that seemingly impenetrable Uchiha shell he possessed. He was simply polite to her because he was polite to everyone in that formal type of way._

_There was no way her young heart had a crush on him she cried. But as the persistent ache attached itself to the face of Uchiha Itachi, Sakura couldn't refute her feelings. Already, she wished the mission was over so she could return to the base and train with Itachi, to be in his comforting presence. She was sure no one else thought of him as a comfort. But…she felt safest when she was with him and the reason why leaving him behind was different than leaving the others was because…her 11 year old heart was taken by the Akatsuki member. It had been for a while now but the extent didn't hit her until she was forced to leave without the possibility of seeing him again._

_Leaving him for a mission was different than Itachi leaving her for a mission. Sure she missed Itachi and Kisame but it didn't seem to be a big deal, everyone left for missions and she always missed him. Now, looking back at the compound, Sakura knew that in her mind, Itachi would never be a brother or a teacher to her and he would never see her as anything more than a nuisance._

* * *

"Itachi." Her voice broke the silence of the room.

Awakening slowly, Sakura sat up in the hospital bed as the smell of antiseptic and the unfamiliar pristine room assaulted her senses. She looked around frantically, searching for a sign of Kisame or any other person. Vaguely aware of her hospital gown, Sakura touched her neck and chest for the Akatsuki necklace but felt nothing. Remembering her mission, Sakura tried to calm herself as her green eyes scanned the area of any hint of where she was. She got up gingerly, stumbled to the window and looked out at the unfamiliar streets and people below. When she saw the Hokage tower, she knew immediately where she was by the "fire" sign that was on it. She was in Konoha. The village she was from.

She was too depleted of chakra to even examine the extent of her wounds, let alone leave the hospital. Returning to the bed, Sakura used the pillows to sit up against the wall. She was an outsider here and therefore someone would be coming to question her. Briefly wondering where Kisame was, Sakura waited, unable to do anything else.

Sakura busied herself by staring at the window, seeing only the tops of a few buildings and the afternoon sky. Though she wished for a kunai or even enough chakra for a simple attack, she couldn't rush her recovery. She knew Kisame wouldn't come for her. She was alone now but she wasn't worried.

It wasn't long until the door to her room opened but she didn't know how long she was unconscious and alone. Four people stepped into the room, two of them, she didn't recognize as one was just a Jounin and the other was an old woman. But the other two she identified easily. One was Sarutobi Asuma, a name and a face she came across in the Bingo Book. The other wore the Hokage cape and hat, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sakura couldn't help but feel incredibly small before one of the most renowned ninja in the world.

The door closed behind them and Sakura bowed her head respectfully though she didn't get out of the bed.

"I see you're awake." Asuma said as the other Jounin appeared to be guarding the door. It was more of a conversational icebreaker as the Jounin was more astute than just stating the obvious.

She simply nodded, unsure of what to say to the people at the foot of her bed.

"Can you tell us your name?" The Hokage had a slightly raspy voice but it was deep and though it was said under the guise of curiosity and formality, it was also tainted with forcefulness.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Sakura answered. "My name is Haruno Sakura." As soon as the words left her lips, the old woman visibly tensed and Sakura's gaze landed on her properly, noting her aged skin and grey hair. She was of average build and height and Sakura didn't know why she was in the room as she didn't appear to be a medic or a ninja. She wondered if the Hokage was on a date or something. This thought caused her to contemplate if the Hokage could even go on dates.

"Where are your parents? Where did you grow up?" The old woman questioned her this time and Sakura's brows furrowed with confusion.

"My parents are dead. I'm an orphan." She stated simply, trying to distance herself from the bad memories. She'd repressed them all and since the event happened when she was young, she only remembered her fear and the blood during the tragedy.

"How did they die?"

"They were murdered…by bandits not far from this very village." Sakura's voice grew smaller, quieter.

"Do you…remember their names?" She could feel all of their gazes locked on her and if possible, Sakura shriveled even more under their scrutiny.

"Haruno…Jin and Tsubaki." A quick breath left the old woman's lips and Sakura once again wondered who she was and what she was doing in her hospital room.

"Where have you been all this time Sakura?" She turned her green eyes towards the Hokage and answered his question as best as she could.

"After my parents died, I was taken to a place where there were others like me in Kirigakure. Once I was old enough, I left the orphanage and tried to find my way back to Konoha. I realized didn't belong there…and that no matter what, Konoha will always be my home." It wasn't completely a lie Sakura amended. She was found by Pein and was taken to a place with people who were as alone as she was. Kirigakure was simply a good place for Sakura to pretend to be from as it explained almost everything about herself. "I'm sorry….I-I know you, Hokage-sama. I remember learning about you from my mother but…who are…?" Sakura's voice trailed off, waiting for the answer.

"This is Asuma, he's the one who found you and brought you here." Sakura bowed again and thanked the ninja. "Behind me is Izumo, a Chunin of Konoha." She waited patiently for the old man to continue. "And this is your grandmother, Takahara Mikan."

* * *

Six years of uncertainty and despair was alleviated the instant the girl on the bed said her parents were Jin and Tsubaki.

All of her earlier grief dissipated as one last question arose from the Shinobi side of her brain. The skeptical part of Mikan, the one that feared everything that had happened was a genjutsu needed more confirmation that this was Sakura. "Why did they take you to Kirigakure when there are closer villages?"

There was a pause from Sakura, understandable as it was like an inquisition. "When a traveler and his wife found me, I had cried myself to sleep, unable to tell them anything. They were on their way back home and apparently didn't feel right leaving me at some village along the way. I…didn't think anyone was here for me so I just followed them, thinking it was for the best. How could I come back to Konoha when I ran from my family?"

Tears fell from Mikan's eyes at the thought of Sakura feeling that way. "It wasn't your fault Sakura and there was nothing you could have done." Mikan went to Sakura side and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "You'll have me from now on." Mikan had spent the afternoon attempting to figure out how Sakura appeared from nowhere and then she had to speak to the Hokage of what should happen if the girl was or wasn't Sakura. Even if the Hokage denied her request to allow Sakura back into the village, Mikan would find some way to be with her. She would even leave the village if it came to that.

"I've been looking for you for so long." Mikan's voice cracked from the weight of her emotions.

Kirigakure wasn't even on the list of potential places Sakura could have been. It hadn't even been searched as the village was too far away. To think that all of that time had been wasted because she didn't look into every small possibility was appalling considering how determined she'd been. But none of that mattered as Sakura was home, where she belonged.

* * *

After excusing themselves to let Sakura rest, the Sandaime and Asuma returned to the Hokage tower to discuss their next moves. Asuma stood before his father's desk, as he had done so numerous times before.

"I want you to keep an eye on her."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The Hokage lit his pipe, blowing out a breath of smoke.

"She will most likely be treated as an outsider by her peers." It was quite sad but true to know that the children of Konoha were quite ruthless when it came to those who were different. "If her story is true, I want her to feel as welcome as possible. If her story isn't true, I want you to discover her purpose in Konoha." Asuma knew better than anyone that his father wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt, but as Hokage, he needed to be prepared for any attack, even one committed by a friend or a child.

"Shouldn't someone retrace her steps? I found no money on her person; it's impossible she travelled that distance without food or shelter." Asuma asked, wanting to light his own cigarette.

Hiruzen waved a dismissive hand at that and drew another deep breath from his pipe, releasing it slowly, almost teasingly to Asuma. "I've already sent Kakashi on that mission."

Asuma wondered just when the Hokage had issued that command. He would have liked to see this one through but reasoned Kakashi was the best choice as his ninken could track Sakura's trail more efficiently.

"Asuma. Mikan was and still is a skilled kunoichi. But when it comes to her granddaughter, she'll be blind. You will have to find irrefutable proof."

Asuma merely nodded.

"You did well to bring her here, Asuma. Haruno Sakura belongs here." With those final words, Asuma was dismissed from the Hokage's presence.

* * *

Sakura sat in bed, shocked to the core. She had had a grandmother in Konoha. Not only that but she had been searching for her since she was five years old. When everyone left, Mikan had seen her confusion and said that they would talk once she was better.

She wondered if Mikan was some sort of test made by the Hokage. Was she supposed to know that old woman? Did that even make sense? There were so many questions in her head to keep track of all of them. Why had she never seen her? Why had Sakura's parents never mentioned her? Where there even actors that good?

And then, unbidden, a thought hit her. If she had known she had a grandmother in Konoha, would she have gone with Pein? Knowing what she did about the members and the fact that she had a crush on one made Sakura think she would never choose anyone over them. What would her life be like if she had returned to Konoha? Would she have been half as happy as she was with the Akatsuki? Would she even be half as strong? Half as intelligent?

She shook her head at the new information. Knowing that she had a grandmother didn't change anything in Sakura's mind.

She was still loyal to the Akatsuki and no number of what ifs would change her love for the people she cherished above all else. If this was a test of her loyalty or of her resolve, she would pass. No one here saved her after her parents died. No one comforted her or helped her grieve. No one taught her with patience or admonished her for childish behavior or stayed with her while she was scared. As far as Sakura was concerned, no one in Konoha was her family or friend.

Settling back down, Sakura decided to rest up and bide her time. This wasn't a type of mission she could rush and returning successfully was better than returning quickly with no progress. All of the planning stages were finished. All Sakura had to do was live in Konoha for a few months to a year or so. As she fell asleep, she longed to have the familiar surroundings of an Akatsuki room. She didn't even have a picture of the members…

.

.

.

The next day, most of the people in the village knew that Haruno Sakura, daughter of Haruno Tsubaki and Haruno Jin, granddaughter to Takahara Mikan was back in the village. As Sakura and her grandmother walked through the streets together, Sakura received curious and suspicious looks. It was to be expected of course as she showed up out of thin air, six years after her disappearance.

It was unnerving to be under the scrutiny of so many people. No one approached her or spoke to her. She wasn't exactly expecting a warm welcome or a party but she couldn't help but ponder whether she would have gotten this type of treatment if she had returned to Konoha after her parents died. Did the people blame her for their death?

Sakura didn't even really remember the streets. Her grandmother had bought her clothes and was showing her around Konoha but the whole ordeal was just making Sakura unbelievably tired. She would have probably been more receptive to torturing than something like this. It was as if she was already being branded an outsider even though this was where she was from.

Finally, after the too long stroll around the main areas of Konoha, Sakura's grandmother took her to her parent's graves. Sakura looked down at the well-kept area and fell silent and still for what seemed to drag on for hours. The sun was high in the sky and the clouds gave some cover from the sunlight as a light breeze fluttered by, breaking through her mindless staring.

Her parents gave up their lives and helped her to escape with hers. In that instant, they changed everything about Sakura's life. They were her parents but Sakura could barely remember them. She'd lost them at such a young age and so long ago, she had steadily forgotten all about them. The only things she did remember were broken bits and pieces. She recalled their blood and screams of pain. She remembered their unique scents and the general interior of their house. She remembered walking hand in hand one spring day through a park. But for the life of her, Sakura couldn't recall their faces. In the memories she simply saw pink and brown hair, a dimple on her father's right cheek, and a melodic laugh.

A pitiful tear escaped the corner of her eye. The parents who loved and sacrificed themselves were before her and their only legacy, their only daughter couldn't even remember their faces. As the tears came down steadily, Sakura cried as an apology; in sadness for not being able to see them again. She cried because she was thankful to them. But, she didn't miss them. She didn't wish things had been different. And that, in and of itself made Sakura cry. She _should_ miss them. She _should_ wish them back or wish to change the past but she simply didn't.

As she became integrated into the Akatsuki, Sakura didn't notice the absence of her parents because she had received so much from the members. In a normal day, a thought of her parents never even entered her mind. Right now, all she missed, all she longed to see and felt she lost were the Akatsuki members next to her. The acknowledgement of this fact made Sakura's tears roll down her cheeks. She was a horrible daughter.

Her grandmother spoke quietly, obviously mistaking her tears for something else. "I miss them as well, Sakura-chan."

She wiped away the tears and tried to quiet the slight sobs wracking her small frame. "Why…why don't I remember you, obaasan?"

Sakura vaguely heard her grandmother inhale a shaking breath as she knelt down before her mother's grave. "We come from a family of Shinobi. I, myself was a Jounin in my younger years and so was my older sister who died when she was 28." She'd always thought she came from a civilian family. Sakura's tears stopped as she listened to what her grandmother was telling her.

"Four generations of accomplished Shinobi and your mother gave up that life when she was a Chunin to settle down and become a civilian. I…disagreed with that decision."

Sakura watched as her grandmother traced the engravings on the tombstone. "I should have accepted that your mother was happy, that she was going to give up the Shinobi life because she loved your father. But my pride, my hubris pushed them both out of my life and ultimately you as well."

There was a long pause as Sakura rubbed her eyes and sniffled while she looked down at her parent's graves in a new light. "I wanted you to attend the academy but your parents didn't want that life for you. Your parents loved you very much, Sakura-chan. They didn't want your life to constantly be in danger."

"Obaasan…." Sakura trailed off, not knowing how to comfort a stranger she knew for only a day. There was a long moment of little movement as the silence stretched on uncomfortably. Sakura clenched her fists as her green eyes hardened with resolve. "I want to attend the Academy."

* * *

Two Shinobi met in an undisclosed location. Both were calm, collected, and unflappable. One male had black hair while the other had short orange hair.

"Has she been taken in by Konoha?" One male asked, obviously the leader of the two.

"Yes."

"I'm sure the members know not to contact her."

"Yes. What of Kirigakure? No doubt the Hokage will send someone to verify her story."

"That's been taken care of. The only reason I allowed her to live was for this reason."

"I know."

"You're too kind hearted Pein. She was a nuisance with no purpose until now."

"I disagree." Pein said in defense of Sakura. "I believe she's raised the overall loyalty of the members. She brings them together somehow. If not for her, I suspect Sasori would have us."

The male laughed at that. "She's nothing more than an investment for the future. If she fails or betrays us, I will hold you responsible."

"Understood, Madara." The Shinobi known as Madara left the meeting place through a teleportation jutsu, leaving Pein to his musings.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. There is a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter and many things have changed. Sorry it's a bit jumpy, I hope it was understandable. For obvious reasons, now that she's in Konoha, things will be similar to cannon but not quite.**

**(Revision) MAJOR A/N: Since so many people wanted more Sakura and Akatsuki moments, the next chapter will be a "special" depicting more on their history as well as Sakura's unique first meetings with all of the members. Please look forward to it. I plan on having 1-2 chapters (not one after the other) just to break up tense moments or for a bit of fluff.**


	8. AKATSUKI SPECIAL I

**This is a "SPECIAL" chapter where I'll go back to the beginning and describe more about Sakura's first days with the Akatsuki and her first meetings with the members. Sadly, there will be NO Ita/Saku moments. Since Madara has been introduced as the hidden leader, there will be plot elements.**

**I hope you enjoy.**

**I'd also like to thank everyone who has been reviewing and sticking with this fic.**

**SAKURA: 5 years old**

* * *

Pein looked down at the sleeping girl cradled in his arms as he continued on towards the Akatsuki base. He didn't know why he introduced himself as Nagato, perhaps it was because the entire ordeal reminded him of Jiraya and when he and Konan were taken in by one of the great sannin just as Pein was taking Sakura in.

He arrived at the base before nightfall and ignored the curious looks he received from the Jounin. It must have been quite odd to see their leader holding a five year old with pink hair he reasoned. Pein wanted to put her down in one of the rooms first to allow her to rest but he was concerned. To wake up in unfamiliar surroundings after the traumatizing experience Sakura had just gone through could potentially put the girl in shock.

Taking her instead to Konan's room, he knocked on the door twice just to let her know he was coming in. Not waiting for an answer, Pein opened the door easily even with Sakura in his arms and entered the room. Konan was sitting up in bed with a book in her lap which she had closed upon hearing him knock. Her surprise didn't go unnoticed as Pein strode over to her while she twisted to set her book down on her nightstand.

"Nagato?" All of her questions were conveyed in that one word.

"I found her in the forest." Without asking, Pein laid Sakura down in bed, next to Konan. She never asked why or what prompted him to do so. Instead Konan simply looked down at the slumbering girl and brushed some of the unusual pink hair away from Sakura's face.

"She's to stay with us?" Pein nodded in response.

"She's an orphan. They were killed by thieves earlier today it seems." His voice was utterly devoid of emotion, causing Konan to look up at him in concern but Pein just brushed it off and continued. "Five year old Haruno Sakura. She'll make a good Kunoichi one day."

Pein was lucky to have Konan next to him. She never questioned his judgment, only followed him and supported him silently and unwaveringly. He needed more people like her.

"What are you planning on doing with her?"

Pein's eyes flickered to Konan before settling on Sakura. "She has determination, inner strength. I need people who are loyal to us." Pein knew Konan understood. It was a constant concern that Pein had about the members in the Akatsuki. They all joined willingly which meant that at any given time, any of the members could betray them.

"Won't people be searching for her?" Pein merely shook his head. It wasn't a big problem, especially considering the storm that was going to come in around the area. He'd made sure to cover his tracks and though she said she had no family left, Pein suspected Sakura didn't even have friends. Why else would she agree to go with a complete stranger?

Pein knew nothing of Sakura other than her name, age, and the fact that she was now an orphan like many of the Akatsuki. But he saw potential in her. He liked to think Sakura would one day become strong enough to join the organization or at the very least go on missions for them. He saw her as someone who he could have by his side, much like Konan. Once the Akatsuki acquired enemies, people he could trust would become very crucial and Pein could mold Sakura into a true Shinobi.

Suddenly a knock at the door broke them from away from the topic. "Konan-san? Your tea and medicine are ready." A feminine voice came from the other side of the door.

"Come in."

Pein watched at the Jounin placed the tray on a nightstand on the other side and left quietly. He hadn't seen her before and simply assumed she was someone Konan had found to take care of her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as she took the small pill and washed it down with a glass of water.

"Better. I should be completely cured in a few days." When Sakura stirred, both missing nins looked down at the girl. Her brows were drawn tightly together and a tear escaped the corner of her eye which caused Konan to raise her hand to comfort the silently weeping girl. However, before she made contact, Sakura woke up with a start and as soon as she saw Pein, she launched herself into his arms without regard for anything else. "Nagato-san!" Konan's eyebrows shot up just as quickly as the girl naively sought Pein for comfort. "I hate them!" she cried.

"Who?" Pein asked as he hesitantly encircled the sobbing, almost incoherent girl with his arms. His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears as he wasn't used to speaking gently. Sakura didn't seem to be fazed as she clung to him.

"They're dead. I keep seeing them. Hearing them." Sakura mumbled against his chest and the Akatsuki cloak. "The bad men killed them. Shinobi didn't save them." Her small hands gripped the material of his cloak as her tear streaked face looked up at him. "No more. I don't want to see them die any more. Please Nagato-san. Please!" She shook her head as she once again buried her face in his chest. "Please, please, please. Blood, screams, pain. No more. No more. Please…please."

Pein cast Konan a helpless look, not knowing what to do. He wondered what normal people did in this situation.

"Sakura-chan?" Said girl stiffened in his arms at Konan's gentle voice. It was unusual as Pein's voice had the adverse effect. When she turned slightly, just to gaze at Konan, he was pulled more tightly against her small frame. "My name is Konan. I'm a friend of Nagato's."

Konan held her hand out for Sakura which the younger girl stared at for a long moment before shaking her head and burrowing herself once again into Pein.

Pein forced his voice to have some emotion in it for the first time in years as an attempt to help her. "You can trust her Sakura. She'll take care of you, just as I will."

The confused girl turned her face up to Pein, her eyes red from tears. However, it seemed that her tears had slowed somewhat. She worried her bottom lip before loosening her hold on him.

* * *

The last time Sakura had had a nightmare was after she insisted on watching a scary movie with her father. For a week after that, Sakura had nightmares every night. Now, they were more than mere ghosts or demons. The deaths of her parents were still incredibly fresh in her mind. It was a wonder she even closed her eyes without seeing their lifeless bodies. As soon as her brain could dream, it conjured the events of the day almost perfectly.

Sakura and her parents had been travelling peacefully when their carriage was rocked and suddenly toppled over. Sakura screamed as she fell out of her seat and onto the door. Her mother attempted to cushion her fall but was hit by one of the boxes in the carriage. She remembered whimpering as she called out to her mother and father. Her mother had told her to stay inside while she opened the other door which was now facing straight up.

Sakura mutely nodded as tears of worry and panic dripped down her cheeks. Her mother had turned to her, a cut on her forehead from where some of the shattered glass had cut her. "You'll be safe Sakura."

Her mother left the carriage to check on things and Sakura was going to listen to her command but when she heard her mother scream, Sakura instinctively rushed out, needing their presence. It took her a few tries to climb out of the carriage but she eventually got out with just a minor scratch on her arm. She jumped down from the carriage, landing awkwardly on her hands and feet. Scrambling back up, Sakura ran to the front of the carriage where her eyes widened at the sight of the horse.

"Mommy?" Sakura's green orbs landed on her mother who was hovering over a body. "Mom?"

"Sakura!" Her mother whirled around, tears streaming down her face and blood on her clothes. "Run! Run to Konoha. I'll be right behind you." Her mother's voice cracked as more tears fell down.

"Where's daddy?"

Her mother attempted to shield her from her father's lifeless form but as she stood up, Sakura peered over her mother and saw something she would never purge from her mind. "Daddy's fine. We'll be there soon. Just…run to Konoha. We'll have a race."

Sakura's mother crouched down next to her and Sakura swore she heard male yells in the distance. As her mother hugged her one last time, she felt something warm and sticky on her arms. Sakura didn't know why but her preservation instincts kicked in and she followed the command without any more questions. She sprinted away from her mother in the direction of Konoha and though she heard screams, the distraught girl didn't look back in fear of seeing more blood.

Her mother's reassuring words kept echoing in her head and even if a part of her knew her mother was lying, she wanted to believe it if only for a little while. Tears fell more freely and blurred her vision. The vision of her mother covered in her father's blood. The image of her father lying face up with an arrow in his chest. Sakura could never forget them.

When Sakura awoke from the nightmare, the only person she could trust to keep her safe from that moment on was Nagato. When Konoha ninja didn't save her, Nagato, a dangerous missing-nin had. So when Nagato's companion held out her hand for Sakura, she was hesitant at first but decided that she could trust Nagato and Konan.

"Konan-san?" Sakura's voice was small as she left Nagato's protection and slipped her much smaller hand into Konan's. It was warm but slightly rough, a testament to Konan's strength and training. Sakura felt safe with her.

"It's nice to meet you Sakura-chan." Slowly, as if not to frighten her, Konan's other hand came up to Sakura's face to brush away some of her tears and the dirt there. "How about I prepare you a bath, and then we'll get you something to eat?"

Konan's warm expression reminded Sakura a lot of her mother and so, she quietly nodded in agreement. As she calmed down considerably, Sakura began to notice Konan's blue hair as well as the blue flower on her right. She was a pretty Kunoichi and she seemed much more empathetic than Nagato who had been fairly indifferent throughout the entire exchange.

"Nagato-san." She turned to the missing-nin and shifted on the bed to see him again. "Thank you."

He patted her head tentatively and Sakura welcomed the touch with a small smile.

Nagato had shown her an unoccupied room next to Konan's but Sakura would always find herself in the Kunoichi's room, uncomfortable being alone. For the few days she was with the Akatsuki, Sakura rarely left the safety of the second floor in dread of being taken to Konoha or left stranded by Nagato or Konan. Sakura also didn't want to encounter any people without Nagato or Konan present. They'd tried multiple times to get Sakura to talk about where she was from but her fear at being abandoned kept her from speaking about it.

She didn't say much in those first days and followed Nagato wherever he went with one hand tightly gripping the Akatsuki cloak he wore. Sakura was like a lost puppy, keeping him from leaving her. She would sometimes switch to following Konan but that was only when he was gone from the base.

Konan informed Sakura on the second day to refer to Nagato as Pein instead. Sakura didn't know why he had two names but nevertheless, followed the instruction. She originally called him Pein-san but upon hearing some of the other people in the house refer to him as "leader-sama," Sakura took to calling him "Pein-sama." She hadn't known Pein was that powerful and the fact only made her feel more at ease around the two Shinobi.

The third day Sakura was with them, Pein had left to meet someone and Sakura stayed by Konan's side in bed. She didn't sleep much because she was afraid of her nightmares so Sakura simply slept for an hour or so every so often. Thankfully, it went mostly unnoticed by Konan who was still recovering from a bad cold.

When Pein returned from his meeting, he told her that both he and Konan were part of an organization called the Akatsuki and that it was imperative Sakura never tell anyone about it. Sakura agreed immediately and said she wanted to stay with them. Pein then told her that there were other members in the organization but that Sakura should wait before she met them.

Sakura wasn't sure if she could handle meeting more people. Konan and Pein were okay because they were kind and protected her but what if the other members didn't like her? Pein didn't say anything about leaving the compound but Sakura had no reason to leave and quite frankly had no intention of leaving without either Pein or Konan with her.

A week later, Konan told Sakura that she and Pein were to go on a mission together for just a few days. Sakura vehemently pleaded with them not to go but Konan simply patted her head.

"You're free to do anything in the base while we're away Sakura."

"I don't want you to go." She started playing with her hands nervously. "Please?"

"You're perfectly safe here Sakura-chan. Besides, Sasori and Orochimaru are coming back from their mission soon. Don't you want to meet them?"

Sakura shook her head. "I just want to stay with you and Pein-sama. Please don't leave me here alone. I won't have anyone to…" She trailed off, not wanting to admit to the older woman that she needed someone to sleep besides in order to stave off her nightmares.

"It'll be alright Sakura. Pein and I will be back before you know it and we'll even bring you something back from our travels."

"But…they're still in my head." She admitted, referring to the deaths of her parents. Konan embraced her and Sakura felt marginally better knowing that she cared for her.

As Konan smoothed Sakura's long hair, she murmured next to her ear. "I know how you feel. It'll pass Sakura-chan. You have to be strong. You can do that, right? Be strong while Pein and I are away?"

There was a tense moment before Sakura nodded slightly. "You'll come back right?"

"We won't be long Sakura. We'll definitely come back." Konan pulled back so that Sakura could see her reassuring expression. "We're not leaving you Sakura."

Sakura knew on some level that Konan was right but she couldn't handle being alone in the big house. Even if there were other people here, it wasn't the same. They were all much older than her and regarded her as nothing more than another responsibility tossed at them. They didn't care for her as Konan and Pein did. There was no sympathy or pity in the eyes of the Jounin. Sakura got the feeling they didn't like her but she didn't know why.

Sakura was interrupted from her pathetic thoughts when Konan brushed her bangs back. She watched as the Kunoichi brought out a headband from her black cloak and styled Sakura's hair. "There, that's better isn't it?"

"But I have a wide forehead." Sakura's hands came up to take off the headband when Konan delicately swatted them away. "Kids used to tease me."

"All the more reason to wear this Sakura. You look much cuter like this. Your forehead is your best feature." Sakura was skeptical but accepted the compliment. She wanted to look like Konan when she was older. The older woman looked sophisticated and composed. Sakura was a mess and even she knew it. "Besides, kids tease others because they're jealous."

Taking Konan's hand, Sakura followed her downstairs to wait for Sasori and Orochimaru with Pein.

* * *

Sakura sat comfortably next to Konan and Pein while Jounin moved around in the kitchen and the rooms, cleaning and organizing things for their mission. She still didn't want them to go but it couldn't be helped and if Sakura pushed the issue, she might be seen as a hindrance. When the door opened, Sakura stood and watched as two men entered the house. She automatically clutched both of their cloaks and shielded herself partially behind Pein's leg.

They were more fearsome looking than even Pein as one had very pale skin and slits as pupils and the other was shorter and had black hair but his dead expression sent a chill down Sakura's spine. Scary. The young girl pressed herself against Pein, as the two new Shinobi looked down at her.

"This is Orochimaru and Sasori." Sakura saw Pein motion to them, letting her know which was which. "Sakura will be staying with us from now on."

Sakura frowned, wondering if she wanted to stay with the two Shinobi while Pein and Konan were away.

"No harm is to come to her." Orochimaru, who was completely uninterested, headed for the stairs while Sasori meandered along, following his partner. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to be near them.

"Don't worry Sakura, they won't hurt you." Sakura looked up at Konan, still worried.

"Will they be here while you're away?" At Konan's nod, Sakura tensed and looked up at the retreating form of Sasori and shivered again. Scary.

"There is one more main member but he's away right now." Sakura heard Pein but she gave no indication that she did. If that member was anything like those two, Sakura was going to persuade them to take her with them.

* * *

Their mission which was only supposed to last a few days was stretching into a week. A week in which Sakura had to peep her head out of doors and carefully tiptoe in the hallways to avoid people. In that week, all Sakura did was read books from a library she found and stay cooped up in her room. She had tried to decorate and make it more inviting but she didn't have anything to decorate with. She had nothing of her old life, Sakura realized as even the clothes she wore were bought by one of the Jounin sent by Pein.

She missed her parents terribly and the nightmares wouldn't release their stranglehold on Sakura. In the hopes that new things would erase the nightmares, Sakura started reading books and scrolls. Many of the concepts and words were foreign to her but she just hoped that any new information would eventually push back the horrific memories.

With a heavy sigh, Sakura shifted the scroll on chakra away from her and got up from her reading chair. Her bare feet slipped into the house slippers and she padded softly to the door. Pressing herself against the cold wood, Sakura listened intently for any signs of movement. Opening it just a crack, Sakura looked up and down the corridor to make sure there was no one there. As she stepped out of her room and closed her door, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief which immediately caught in her throat when a figure appeared in front of her.

She was completely frozen in panic. The now familiar red and black cloak of the Akatsuki was before her but something about the person sent a chill through Sakura as she stared at the person's navel. Slowly, her eyes trailed up the front of the figure to the high collar as she trembled. From her position, Sakura couldn't see the person's face or hands but she had a sinking suspicion that it was Orochimaru.

"I'm quite lucky. Pein-_sama_ has brought me a lab rat." The way he said "sama" made Sakura uncomfortable. The person in front of her didn't respect Pein or his orders not to harm her making Orochimaru dangerous.

She couldn't form words, could barely move her body of her own accord.

"I wonder what he sees in you. Kekkei Genkai perhaps?" Sakura briefly wondered what a Kekkei Genkai was but ignored it as his next words caused her to visibly sweat from distress. "I could experiment to discover what it is you possess. You might even be of use to me."

Her throat tightened as her breathing grew shallow and uneven. This man…

"You know what leader said. Don't tease the girl." Sakura's head snapped back as an unfamiliar person strolled towards them. He had red hair and brown eyes as well as the Akatsuki cloak around his form. Sakura wondered if he was the other member of the Akatsuki and a breath wheezed out of her as her erratic heart calmed from the terror Orochimaru instilled.

"I wasn't going to do anything. Just curious." She practically felt Orochimaru's voice snake around her and she barely stifled the tremor in her hand.

"I'm sure he has plans for her, Orochimaru."

"You're such a serious person Sasori." Sasori? That couldn't possibly be Sasori, she thought. He was so different from who she had seen earlier. Sakura didn't want to stick around and as soon as she regained control of herself, she ran towards the library and locked herself inside.

Breathing heavily, Sakura leaned against the door and hugged herself, trying to stop her shivers. She couldn't think, couldn't even focus on breathing as her body went into defensive mode. She was in shock. She never experienced anxiety or horror like this. There was no one comforting her, reassuring her. This was pure fear gripping her and Sakura didn't know how to cope.

* * *

**7 Months Later**

Sakura limited her time spent in the company of others besides Konan and Pein. Thankfully, her nightmares had receded and the only time she sought Konan or Pein for comfort was during thunderstorms. During her time with the Akatsuki, Konan taught her basics of being a Shinobi as well as strict basic knowledge such as math and vocabulary. Sakura, being the book worm that she was, gladly learned everything she could from Konan.

About three months ago, Sakura met Akira who was recruited to be Kakuzu's partner, who she still hadn't met yet. She had heard by chance that Akira was Kakuzu's second partner and that he should be cautious when fighting alongside Kakuzu. Sakura wondered why that was but didn't ask. Apparently Kakuzu chose to go on many side missions for his own personal gain. Sakura was just grateful she didn't have to interact with someone that volatile that his own partner had to steer clear of him.

A bit more comfortable with staying indoors, Sakura sat in the living room to read instead of the library or her room. Konan and Pein were busy discussing mission assignments or something while Orochimaru and Sasori were at another Akatsuki base so Sakura was alone. Jounin walked around, preparing dinner for three when the front door opened behind her.

She normally wouldn't have thought anything of it as Jounin frequently went in and out of the house for supplies or chores but a chill in the air caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. Turning slowly in her chair, Sakura looked up at the new arrival, her hand on the book clenching. The color blanched from her face. The man looked more like a monster than anything else. His face was mostly covered by a mask but his eyes were what scared Sakura to the core. The whites of his eyes were red while his irises were green. From what she could see, he wore the Akatsuki cloak and was a very tall man. He also possessed the hitai-ate for Takigakure which was scratched out.

He must be Kakuzu, she reasoned as she tried to make herself smaller, hoping to go unnoticed by him. She was surprised when his partner didn't show up beside him but wasn't about to ask the fearsome looking missing-nin that question. When he silently went up the stairs, Sakura released her breath and rubbed her suddenly cold arms. That was the best first meeting she could have hoped for with Kakuzu, she thought as he didn't acknowledge or look at her.

The Akatsuki was truly an organization to be feared.

A few days after that, Sakura heard from Konan that Akira was dead. There was no explanation as to how that happened but she had a sinking suspicion it had something to do with Kakuzu. It could have been her imagination or her apprehension towards Kakuzu but something about the air around him made Sakura uneasy.

* * *

**2 Months Later**

By now, Sakura was used to life with the Akatsuki and had started venturing further and further away from the safety of her room and the library. This didn't go unnoticed by Pein or Konan as both had informed her at different times to never leave an Akatsuki base without a member; not a Jounin. Sakura didn't question the order. In addition, Sakura started talking more freely with Konan and Pein, no longer concerned that they would abandon her somewhere.

She had begun to see that she belonged with the Akatsuki and chose not to care that two of the five members scared her half to death from their mere presence. She was still on the fence about Sasori. Ever since he saved her from Orochimaru's "teasing", Sakura wondered if he did that out of concern for his partner or for her. Nevertheless, she never got a chance to thank him for saving her because he always seemed to be in the company of Orochimaru. The two Shinobi had a very good partnership from what Sakura could observe but then again, the only one who didn't have a successful pairing was Kakuzu.

To her, both Kakuzu and Orochimaru had an aura of nefariousness or villainy around them at all times. It was quite dreadful and she could feel it prickling her skin whenever they were near her. Out of everyone in the Akatsuki, she considered them to be the most monstrous. However, she never got that feeling from Sasori. Whenever she was forced to encounter the duo, Sakura would always find her eyes wandering to the "puppeteer". She still didn't know what that meant but it had something to do with his abilities and it was the reason why he sometimes appeared to be two people.

It could have been because he inadvertently rescued her from Orochimaru's perverse threats or because he appeared young in his real form but Sakura felt she could trust the Sunagakure missing-nin.

Playing with the paper crane Konan had taught her to make, Sakura traipsed around the second floor towards the kitchen for a snack. She didn't hear anyone at the stairs but as she got closer, she saw an unruly head of red hair and a distinctive black and red cloak. Sakura froze mid-step as nervousness set in. Sasori, oblivious to the mental push and pull going on in Sakura's mind, continued treading in her direction, already past the top of the stairs.

Just as he was passing her, Sakura gulped and words tumbled out of her mouth in a jumble. "Sasori-san?" The somewhat youthful face turned and looked down at her, expressionless. Under his unwavering gaze, Sakura fidgeted and looked at her feet. He didn't even appear curious or angered, giving Sakura nothing to instinctively react to.

"I wanted…I-I just wanted to.." She cleared her throat and continued, forcing her eyes to meet his. "thank you for helping me. I mean...you might not remember." He didn't say anything and in her insecurity, Sakura bit the inside of her mouth. "I'm very thankful to you for saving me. Orochimaru-san s-scares me but y-you helped." Not knowing what else to do, Sakura bowed and for some unknown reason, presented him with the paper crane, which was slightly crumpled and crudely made.

She didn't expect him to take it and was just about to apologize for wasting his time when he accepted the origami, the sleeve of his cloak brushing her tiny hands. "You're welcome."

She smiled brightly at the Akatsuki member, her green eyes crinkling at the corners as her small teeth showed. Feeling infinitely better, Sakura bowed again before all but running down the stairs.

* * *

Sasori inspected the origami crane the pink haired girl had given him. Her name was…Sakura, he thought as he opened the door to his room and placed the crane on the table next to the door. Shedding his cloak, Sasori hung it up in the closet before making his way to his work station. She was such an odd girl with a fitting name.

Her expression of gratitude wasn't deserved of course as Sasori was simply looking out for his partner. He knew Orochimaru liked to do odd experiments but Pein seemed very serious when he had told them not to harm the girl. While his curiosity was piqued, Sasori didn't feel the need to investigate. An overly curious Shinobi wasn't any good and would be quickly killed or worse.

His brown eyes landed on the paper crane as an image of Sakura's innocent smile flickered in association with it. He scoffed slightly. Anyone in the base could kill her with a finger and yet she was so relaxed now, so at ease in the base as if it was her home. He didn't understand it.

As Sasori went through the motions of coating his weapons in his own unique poison, he wondered how it was possible for a child to trust them. How was it possible for Sakura to look upon him and not be afraid? She was…interesting. Mentally putting it behind him, Sasori inspected his weaponry and shook his head. Her innocence wouldn't last. She would fear him eventually and regard him as a monster. Sakura was just naïve and didn't understand what he had done to himself. It was just that to anyone else, Sasori appeared to be the most humanlike in the Akatsuki he told himself.

* * *

**It's a little fluffy. I wanted to give the people who wanted more Akatsuki something as well as show the differences/similarities in how Sakura is received by Konoha vs the Akatsuki. I actually think a lot about this fic as it's somewhat of an obsession at this point, which is why the chapters are coming out Sasori is going to be key later so I'm giving his relationship with Sakura a bit more light. There are no romantic feelings between them, so don't worry. Feedback is highly appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sakura: 11**  
**Itachi: 16**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story so diligently. This chapter gave me a few problems and I couldn't seem to focus on it, instead I spent most of my writing time thinking of future scenes and writing them down before I forgot. The scenes wouldn't leave me alone so I apologize for the delayed chapter.**

**If I were to divide my story into four parts it would be _Childhood, Konoha, Romance, and the End. _****And Sadly, I didn't like this chapter because there isn't a lot of room for Sakura to develop a personality or even show it. So I'm sorry if it seems like Sakura is being annoying or a Mary Sue. I have her playing it safe and most of her thoughts are about the Akatsuki. I will try to have Itachi appear in every chapter but I can't promise anything. I hope you appreciate the major writer's block I had to go through to write this.**

**I was going to have Sakura spar with Ino but decided to have that in a later chapter. It wouldn't be much of a fight if everyone thinks that Sakura can't fight. **

* * *

**Tuesday**

Her grandmother's house was smaller than what she was used to and it took Sakura a few days to adjust. However, she had to admit that the place was much more inviting, with fresh flowers every few days and pictures on the walls. There were three bedrooms, two baths, a fair sized living room and a fully functional kitchen. The house itself was also quite respectable albeit somewhat old. Judging by many of the appliances and the ancient pictures of her great grandparents, Sakura guessed the house had been in the family for quite some time.

Though hidden by jutsu, the Akatsuki bases were all relatively plain and forgettable. They were impersonal with the exception of the bedrooms. However, that had its limitations as there were multiple houses. To Sakura's knowledge there were three or four houses which served as temporary resting places for the members with a main base of operations which Pein and Konan stayed at almost exclusively. Sakura had personally stayed in two of them plus the main base during her time with the Akatsuki.

Living for weeks at a time without seeing the Akatsuki members, Sakura was used to staying in spacious places alone. She would technically have Jounin with her but she was never close to any of them besides Kabuto and they tended to stay out of her way. The Jounin were mostly spies and traitors who Pein or Sasori had taken in so Sakura didn't interact with them in return.

She may not have seen or encountered the Akatsuki members every day but the sudden change in her environment was distressing. Sakura usually awoke ready for a day of reading or training. Now that she was in Konoha however, she woke up wondering if she was going to be interrogated or tortured to determine if she was a spy. Sakura awoke wondering whether there was anything safe for her to do and of course, planning her next moves.

During her first leg of the journey with Kisame, Sakura briefly fantasized she would like Konoha and even start to feel something for the village. Looking back on it, the young 11 year old could tell it was a foolishly naïve notion. She would never be welcomed back into Konoha with open arms. The people were too distrusting and judgmental. Sakura could only expect the same kind of treatment from her peers.

Sakura tucked her legs in so she could submerge herself into the relaxing hot water. Her pink locks billowed out around her head as she stared at the white bathroom ceiling, her body floating on the soapy water.

For her first two weeks back in Konoha, Sakura never ventured far from the house without her grandmother with her. No one visited her, approached her, or checked on her. It made her mission considerably simpler as Sakura didn't have to worry about emotional attachments.

Her thoughts turned to the day she received her mission scroll and she let out a long sigh. The information was imprinted onto her brain, infiltrate Konoha and lead the Jinchuuriki known as Uzumaki Naruto away from the village and into Akatsuki hands within two years. Pein had told her that out of all of the Jinchuuriki, he believed the kyuubi would give him the most trouble because it was the most powerful. The organization wanted it while the container was weak. Sakura supposed that made sense.

She didn't know why Pein needed him and didn't bother to ask. The information wasn't vital to the mission and she would have done whatever Pein asked her to do. Sakura did know that the kyuubi was important to Pein's ultimate plan for peace. Loyally trusting him wholeheartedly, she wished to see that peaceful future while standing next to her leader and father figure.

A sudden knock on the bathroom door caused Sakura to sit up abruptly, sending water splashing everywhere and momentarily blinding her. Wiping the drops away from her eyes with the back of her hand, Sakura heard her grandmother's muffled voice from the other side of the wooden door.

"Sakura-chan, dinner is ready."

"I'll be right out obaasan!"

After another sigh, Sakura reluctantly pulled the drain stopper and stood up in the tub, drawing the clear curtains. She immediately missed the warmth of the water and focused her eyes on surveying her wrinkled fingers.

Sakura was going to enter the academy tomorrow after a placement test. She had explained to her grandmother that she hadn't gotten along with the other children and read books while in Kirigakure, learning the basics of chakra. She was confident that whoever was sent to the orphanage in Kirigakure would return with the same information. When she and her grandmother first went to the Hokage with the proposal, the first question he asked was whether or not Sakura loved the village. She had answered with a yes, stating that Konoha was her home now. She didn't know why he chose to grant her request but he hadn't thought it over for very long.

The Kunoichi wasn't sure how stupid she had to appear but she planned on trying to stay in the middle of whatever class she was in. She didn't want to draw attention to herself or her abilities so she was prepared to fail a few tests as well.

Vaguely noticing that the water was almost fully drained, Sakura turned on the shower to rinse herself. Her small fingers touched the scars on her knees, then the raised skin on her forearm. Training to become a Shinobi, it was inevitable that she would get hurt but these specific scars held meaning to her.

Sakura had always wondered what sort of tragedies Pein had gone through but whatever it was, it was far worse than what she had experienced. Pein, Konan, and Sasori were orphans when they were younger, just like Sakura. She always figured that was why she was close to them.

Shutting the water off, Sakura moved the curtains back and wrung most of the water from her hair. She needed to stop thinking about the Akatsuki and focus on her mission.

.

.

.

Mikan and Sakura ate in a heavy and uncomfortable silence, Sakura because she didn't know what to talk about. As they sat on the floor across from each other, she focused solely on her food while being self-conscious of how loudly she chewed or how much food she placed in her mouth.

The slight clattering of her grandmother's chopsticks on the plate caused Sakura to look up curiously.

"I wanted to make a suggestion…you don't have to follow it if you do not want to…Sakura."

Her food almost gone, Sakura placed her utensils on the plate and swallowed the food she was chewing. "What is it obaasan?"

There was a pause and Sakura took the time to note the dark circles under her grandmother's eyes and the stress lines on her brow. For someone who was over 60, Takahara Mikan looked surprisingly young. Even with the added stress on the body from being a Shinobi, the grey haired woman had aged well.

"Since you're attending the Academy tomorrow, I was wondering if you would introduce yourself as Takahara Sakura."

Speechless, Sakura's mouth fell open as she attempted to get something out. She hadn't been expecting anything like that.

The silence was nearly deafening as Sakura tried to think of a response. "I….I'm sorry obaasan. I know you must blame father for breaking us apart but…I can't just change my name and write him away."

In truth, her response was more for herself than for the sake of the mission and hadn't even thought of the repercussions. Even when Pein and Konan had all but adopted her, Sakura remained a Haruno.

"It's alright Sakura. It was just a suggestion. The Haruno name isn't associated with Shinobi. I thought that going by Takahara would make things easier for you." Mikan stood and Sakura could tell she must have been hurt by her decision. As her grandmother gathered her empty plate, the distance between the two females seemed much larger than four feet.

Sakura gazed at her own plate absently, having lost her appetite. She didn't enjoy hurting others. Especially when they didn't deserve it.

**Wednesday**

Saying goodbye to her grandmother, Sakura headed towards the direction of the Academy. The older woman had wanted to go with her, being overprotective since Sakura returned. However, the school was only 15 minutes away and it would have felt awkward having her guardian accompany her.

Sakura's hair was styled with a red hair band, two shades darker than her natural pink hair and she wore a simple training outfit her grandmother had bought her after her entrance into the Academy was approved by the Hokage.

Stores were still closed or just opening as Sakura was told to come in before class started in order for her to take her placement test. Avoiding eye contact with the other people on the street, Sakura kept her eyes forward, not wanting to see the distrust or skepticism on their expressions. The young girl had enough sense to know she couldn't win the hearts of the people in Konoha and to be perfectly honest, she didn't want to.

If she was the worst in her class, Sakura would be looked down upon and constantly questioned. People would also become suspicious and wonder if she was holding herself back just to appear unthreatening. If she did the opposite and excelled in everything that she did, she would be distrusted even more as people would begin to question where she learned everything. Once people decide either subconsciously or consciously to hate someone, that hatred or bias would be extremely difficult to overcome. Sakura knew all too well.

Sakura heard the hushed whispers of a couple as she passed their house and though she attempted to tune them out, she was unable to. The man, who was obviously a Shinobi, was telling his wife that he and the other Jounin objected to the Hokage's decision. She didn't catch the end of his words as her steady pace took her out of earshot. Outwardly, there was no change in Sakura's demeanor to indicate she had even heard him but it was clear that the Jounin was referring to her by the way she felt their eyes on her as she passed. No one believed that Sakura could suddenly appear after so long as they were all too paranoid. Kisame had warned her of it but she didn't think it would be this severe. She felt like some sort of pariah within the village. It was exactly why she believed the Hokage would have denied her attending the Academy.

Soon the building came into view and Sakura was greeted by the familiar face of Sarutobi Asuma. She stopped in front of him and bowed respectfully, giving him a weak smile as the smoke from his cigarette drifted around his face. Unused to someone smoking around her, the green eyed girl had to hold back the urge to cough or hold her breath as the smoke caused her to tear up just slightly.

Instead, Sakura pushed back her pink hair and fidgeted with her empty hands. "Good morning Asuma-san."

"Good morning Sakura. How are you feeling?" He continued to smoke in front of her as Sakura answered, his cigarette almost gone.

"I'm much better. I also wanted to thank you for saving me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you Asuma-san." She attempted to be sincere but even to her own ears, the words came out forced and somewhat strained.

Thankfully, Asuma didn't seem fazed and flicked his cigarette bud away with a warm grin. "We're all happy you're back, Sakura." There was a minute flinch in Sakura's brow at the obvious lie coming from his lips. No one was happy Sakura was back except for her grandmother and maybe the Hokage.

Again, the Jounin didn't seem to have noticed her reaction as he opened the door for her. Sakura took the invitation and stepped into the Academy for the first time. She followed next to him as he led her down a corridor lined with doors on either side.

"Why did you decide to become a Shinobi?"

There was no hesitation on Sakura's part as she foresaw his line of questioning. "I want to be able to protect the people I love. To become strong enough to help those I care about." As Sakura recited the words, she thought of the Akatsuki members in particular.

"That's a very good reason, Sakura. I'm sure your grandmother is very proud."

She nodded as he looked down at her. Sakura avoided his eyes by looking forward. "She told me she wanted me to be a Shinobi since I was born. Obaasan said it was the reason I never knew about her." Sensing he was about to speak, Sakura cut him off. "She's been looking for me out of guilt. Even I can see that. I just…want to alleviate some of the burden she carries."

"That's not true Sakura, Mikan-san searched for you so relentlessly because she loves you."

Sakura's green orbs, which held the pain of loss and intelligence far exceeding her years, looked up at the Jounin. "How can anyone love the reminder of failure and unresolved hatred? Obaasan doesn't see me as Sakura. She sees my mother."

The infiltration mission would have worked fine without Sakura joining the Academy or becoming a ninja but her grandmother provided her a very legitimate excuse. It would have been somewhat suspicious for Sakura to join the Academy so quickly and wholeheartedly if Mikan hadn't spoken up about her guilt for pushing Sakura's parents away. It was a good tactic, one that would have made Sasori and Itachi proud.

.

.

.

Sakura looked around the room, her heart thumping nervously in her chest from the new scenery. In an effort to calm herself, she took a few deep breaths quietly as the other students listened to Iruka. Uzumaki Naruto was supposedly her age so Sakura had to somehow beg to be in the same class. She hoped she didn't leave too many questions blank to prevent Asuma from agreeing but apparently she had done almost too well. The Jounin's praise at her knowledge had began to make her anxious.

When she had first entered the class, no one looked that interested in her, some had even ignored her presence entirely. They were no doubt acting upon the same distrust their parents and neighbors were showing her. Sakura had also known almost immediately who Naruto was as he was the only blond haired blue eyed boy in the class. Since Pein had planned for her to infiltrate the village for up to two years, there was no need for Sakura to show her interest in any of her classmates, including Naruto.

She neither recognized nor wanted to befriend anyone in the village and as Sakura's keen eyes scanned the room, she knew none of them would be a friend to her. Though she yearned to hurry back to familiar surroundings and her family, Sakura forced herself to be patient. Wringing her hands slightly in her lap, Sakura kept repeating to herself that she had to make Pein proud.

As Iruka continued his lesson on substitution, Sakura took the time to commit the faces and names of her classmates to memory and begin determining Naruto's personality. The rambunctious preteen didn't disappoint as he frequently interrupted the lesson with stupid questions and fidgeted constantly, drawing her attention to his seat numerous times. She couldn't believe the boy in her class was potentially going to be strong enough to cause the Akatsuki difficulty.

* * *

"How was your first day Sakura? Asuma-san dropped by earlier and gave me the good news. How was class with Iruka-sensei?"

"It was fine, obaasan. Iruka-sensei seems nice and we didn't go over much today." Sakura said, not surprised to find her grandmother almost eagerly waiting for her by the front door.

"Asuma-san told me your scores on paper were good enough to be a Genin! How marvelous. That intelligence runs in the family you know." Mikan spoke as she started all but gliding to the kitchen. The only questions Sakura felt she would be able to answer were the information on the nations, Kage, what chakra and jutsu were, and the different types of jutsu. She had left the rules of a Shinobi, specific jutsu, and information about mission and teams blank.

Sakura sighed as she took off her shoes and entered the slightly cooling house. She wasn't prepared to tell her excited grandmother that she was forced to watch from the sidelines as the others spared with each other in taijutsu. Sakura also didn't have the heart to tell Mikan that she was dead last in the race around the track by a minute and a half. When it came to the physical activities, Sakura had to be the worst in the class.

"Don't you fret, Sakura-chan. You'll catch up to the others in no time at all. You have Takahara blood in you." The elderly woman's voice carried into the living room with no problem.

Sakura silently accepted the comment as it was something Mikan was expected to say. It also resembled the words of encouragement Iruka had given her at the end of class. She was dreading the next few weeks as they would be filled with her grandmother teaching her jutsu she had already learned. "Obaasan…would you…um…would you train me?" She raised her voice slightly to make sure Mikan could hear her even as she outwardly cringed at her own request.

Her grandmother came out of kitchen with a large smile on her face, the dirty dishes forgotten. Sakura's expression almost blank, she attempted to smile back. "Of course dear, I'd love to. When would you like to start?" Mikan silently padded over to Sakura and gave her a reassuring pat on her shoulder. Perhaps if her relationship with her grandmother was closer, others would trust her a bit more.

"Well, I was wondering if we could start now. I want to be able to graduate with everyone else." Her expression hopeful, it immediately got the desired result as her grandmother enthusiastically nodded her head and started taking off her pale blue apron. Wearing a loose fitting dress, Mikan brushed some dust and drops of water from her clothes.

"We can go in the back yard and I'll teach you the basics." As she haphazardly tossed the crumpled apron on the couch and led Sakura to the backyard, Mikan placed her hand on her granddaughter's lower back. "I'm so proud of you."

Her lips pressed in a thin line, Sakura followed her lead. "Thank you obaasan."

Once outside, Sakura saw the sun had slowly started to set, not giving them a lot of time. "There are only a few things you need to know in order to graduate from the Academy." Mikan started explaining as Sakura stood a few feet in front of her. "First, you need to know how to control your chakra to an acceptable level, where you can perform jutsu. Second, Iruka should be teaching you substitution, clone, and transformation jutsu."

Sakura nodded, pretending to listen intently. "Yes, obaasan." She stiffened as her eyes grew slightly wider. There was something she didn't foresee. Before Mikan could speak again, Sakura cut her off. "Um…I have something to confess…" She trailed off as her mind searched for an acceptable excuse.

"What is it Sakura-chan?" Concerned, Mikan took a few steps forward as her granddaughter looked down.

"At the orphanage…I tried to harness…my chakra." The pink haired Kunoichi had completely forgotten that chakra took years to build up and control. Trying to think of an excuse, she desperately sought some sort of lie to tell the old woman that wouldn't arouse suspicion. "There was an older boy who joined the Academy in Kirigakure…he explained it to some of the other kids in the orphanage and I started to practice on my own."

"You did?" Raising her gaze from the ground to the bewildered expression of her grandmother, Sakura gave her a slightly guilty expression.

"I'm not very good and I don't know any jutsu…" Trailing off, she wondered if Mikan bought her story and silently prayed that she did.

"Okay. Then why don't you show me what you learned." Her kind and reassuring smile caused Sakura to exhale a slow breath in relief.

Slowly bringing her hands together to gather her chakra, Sakura made sure to look at her hands while doing so. The hand position was slightly awkward to show that she hadn't gotten formal training in hand signs.

Counting to ten in her mind while at the same time striving to appear to be struggling, Sakura gathered about thirty percent of her chakra.

**Thursday**

Reflecting upon her training session with her grandmother, Sakura completely ignored the lesson Iruka was talking about. Her chin resting on her palm, Sakura grew lost in her thoughts. The training was only two hours but already, she dreaded the time wasted going over what she already knew in the viewpoint of a novice. She always felt as though she hardly ever progressed, always comparing herself to the Akatsuki members but now, it truly was as though Sakura did nothing with her time. Her listless eyes simply roamed around the room, not particularly focusing on anything as her other hand scribbled random things down in her notebook.

Suddenly, she straightened in surprise as the other students started standing up for their break. Stretching her underused muscles, Sakura stood and calmly walked out of the room, not wanting to stay in the noisy room. As she left, three girls followed but Sakura didn't give them much thought. Even after a few feet, she had a feeling that she was being followed and so turned to confront them.

She didn't know their names but one was blonde, another brunette, and the last had dark hair. Watching them silently as they sauntered up to her, Sakura tensed, thinking they wanted to fight.

"Haruno Sakura." The blonde started speaking, to which Sakura simply gazed at her lazily and forced her body to loosen up.

"Sasuke-kun is _ours_." The brunette sneered at her.

"Who is that?" Sakura knew it was the black haired boy with the odd fan embellished on his clothing but she feigned ignorance nevertheless.

"Uchiha Sasuke! You were staring at him all throughout the class. We're just informing you to back off. Sasuke-kun wouldn't fall for the likes of _you_ anyway so stay away from him." Sakura didn't bother listening to the rest of their threats as she started pondering Sasuke's link to Itachi. Brother? Cousin? Sakura did notice a resemblance when she saw him but she had written it off as just her eyes seeing what they wanted to see. While she should have been memorizing the names of her classmates, Sakura could only recall a handful of them by their first name as she had never heard their last names before.

"Do you hear us?!" The blonde pushed Sakura's shoulders, sending her jerking back and out of her private musings.

"I couldn't care less who Uchiha Sasuke is, much less who he dates." A lie of course, as Sakura was now knew his last name and was too curious to know if he was related to Itachi.

"You'd better keep it that way." Sakura sighed as they whirled around and left. She waited a few minutes before returning to the class herself, her interest in the Uchiha piqued. Itachi was a very secretive individual and Sakura wanted to know everything about him. If she could use her time in Konoha to do that then it wouldn't all be a waste.

* * *

Asuma followed from a few feet away as Sakura returned home from the Academy. Her hands moved slowly and uncertainly as she practiced the multiple hands signs. She made a few mistakes but overall, they weren't as bad as he expected.

Yesterday, when she had entered Iruka's classroom, the Jounin had glanced at the test Sakura handed him. While her test scores reflected her overall intelligence, they weren't enough to contend with her peers. Still, she had begged him to place her in a class with others her age. Basing his decision on her ability to retain information and the level of dedication she was showing swayed him to approve her request. If Sakura needed help, Asuma had no doubt that Mikan would give her what she needed to catch up.

As the dark haired Shinobi finally came up to the Takahara house, he admitted that he should have denied Sakura. She wasn't ready to be in the class. While she grasped the concepts from the books she read, Sakura knew no tactics, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and definitely no taijutsu. In terms of book smarts, the young girl was arguably the smartest in her age group but her peers knew more than just concepts; they were already strengthening their chakra and preparing to become Genin.

He felt pity for the young girl. Before her arrival most of the villagers knew of her and though they found it unlikely that she would return, held hope for Mikan's sake. He knew of multiple Chunin and Jounin who would search for a head of pink hair on every mission they took. Yet, now that the person everyone unconsciously and consciously searched for returned, they shunned her and made her an outcast within the village. In truth, it saddened him and embarrassed the village.

However, he could see their reasons for doing so. Asuma himself was the same way. Though he tried to give her the benefit of the doubt by allowing her to enter the same class as everyone else, he wasn't completely sure she deserved the accommodation.

After two weeks of studying her, Asuma knew she didn't contact anyone outside or within the village and that she appeared lonely. As the Jounin knocked on the aged wooden door, he also knew that he would have to monitor Sakura for a few more weeks at least. He wasn't prepared to place the safety of the village based on just 16 days.

"Asuma-san? Is there something the matter?"

Smiling politely, he shook his head at Mikan's unneeded concern. "No, I just stopped by to give Sakura a book. I thought it might be of use to her."

"Oh, then by all means." Mikan pulled the door open for him and invited him into the house. When he had dropped by yesterday to inform her of Sakura's entrance to the Academy, he had kept his visit short. "She's in the back already practicing."

"I'll only be a moment." Taking off his sandals, Asuma entered the warm house and immediately the waft of miso hit his nose. Following behind the senior Jounin, Asuma's dark brown eyes took note of the pictures. There wasn't a single one of Sakura or her father.

Her wrinkled hand opened the screen door to the backyard and closed it after he stepped outside and wore one of the slippers on the ground. Sakura stood a few feet in front of him, in the middle of the fair sized grounds, her face towards the right. Asuma couldn't see a pattern to her hand signs but she wasn't putting any chakra behind them. She seemed to be getting used to changing the position of her hands. When she made mistakes, the preteen admonished herself with a slight shake of her head, causing a chuckle from him.

Taking out a cigarette and his Zippo lighter, Asuma stepped forward and made his presence known.

"Asuma-san." Her always striking hair fell around her cheeks as she bowed. "Good afternoon."

Placing his pack of cigarettes and his lighter back in their respective pouches, Asuma took out a book from his larger back pouch and handed it to her. He did admit he enjoyed her always formal and respectful attitude. It was a behavior hard to find amongst children. "I just dropped by to give you this."

Sakura took the book with two hands and bowed in thanks. She turned the book to read the title and looked up at him curiously. "Combat tactics and counters?"

"You said you liked to read and this should give you an idea of what Shinobi do out in the field." Exhaling smoke, Asuma looked at the cigarette, wondering if they made it smaller or something.

"Thank you Asuma-san. I'll definitely read it." He could tell she wanted to flip through the pages by the way her right thumb brushed against the pages between the hard covers.

"You shouldn't stay out too late tonight. They said there's going to be a thunderstorm."

"Okay. Thank you again Asuma-san."

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to your training."

* * *

Lying in bed, he could hear the rain pelt down on the windows and the roof of the base. After staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, Itachi closed his overused eyes and attempted to get comfortable. At the first lightning bolt, he half expected a hesitant knock at his door. He had grown accustomed to Sakura's presence during thunderstorms. No matter how many times she came to him, the eleven year old would always spend about two minutes outside his door, no doubt trying to build up the courage to knock. His eyes opened and he raised his hand to look at the Akatsuki ring.

Pein had informed everyone about Sakura's mission and understandably there were concerns. Nobody believed she was ready for such a complex and difficult assignment. There were too many variables and unforeseeable dangers. If Sakura got into trouble, not even their spy could help her in time.

He was…concerned. Perhaps even a bit worried about her safety. Though Itachi was relieved to know her target wasn't Sasuke but the Kyuubi. He didn't believe she was mature enough or emotionally ready to even speak about the village let alone infiltrate it.

Unable to sleep, the S-rank missing nin got up and sat at the edge of his cold bed as another bolt of lightning illuminated his room. When the deep, rumbling thunder followed, he allowed himself to wonder about his young student. She was most likely bundled under the covers, too scared to leave her bed.

He counted the years since he himself went to Konoha. Three years already. Itachi found himself hoping Sakura didn't return to the organization and that she would find happiness in the village. Maybe she would befriend his brother in the same way she forced her affections on him. The likeable girl would be able to help Sasuke…when the time came. Leaving his room, Itachi decided a short walk was in order but he inevitably ended up in the girl's room, almost as if to convince himself she wasn't cowering under the sheets.

* * *

With only one eye visible behind the smooth orange mask, the Shinobi known as Madara approached the Konoha Jounin in the dense forest surrounding Konoha.

"Has she been accepted?" Though he knew the answer from Pein, he felt it was better to get the opinion of someone who wasn't biased.

"Yes, sir." The brown haired Shinobi in his standard Jounin attire kept his eyes downcast as Madara stopped in front of him.

"Keep an eye on her. Pein is far too soft when it comes to that _girl._" The stoic leader's voice grew almost venomous when referring to her.

"Yes, sir."

"You've done well, Rui."

"Thank you, sir."

Madara turned to leave and spoke as if the new idea had just hit him. "Oh, and if she fails, even slightly…kill her." His orders given, Madara left the spy and went on to move a few pieces around the board. Thoughts turning to Haruno Sakura, Madara admitted he should have killed her much earlier. No matter, he would do away with her once her mission was either fulfilled or ended in failure. It wouldn't do for the face of the organization to show weakness. Madara had grander plans in store.

* * *

**As always, please review. It let's me know you care. :) I ****make a lot of effort not to switch perspectives or have too many breaks. Let me know if it's not working. Also, I'm sorry Itachi's part is so short. **

**It's a bit premature but I also have a new story thought up. More info to come about that one though.**

_**QUESTION: Who should Sakura fight during the Chunin Exams? **_**I have my own thoughts on this and I've asked this question before but with the new developments, I wanted to ask again.**

**If your opinion is the same as before then..._when the two years are up, do you think Sakura should return to the Akatsuki?_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sakura: 11**  
**Itachi: 16****  
**

**This chapter gave me a few problems so I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry for the long absence, I'm currently studying abroad while studying for the LSATs. **

* * *

Sakura strolled over to the lone figure in beige under the shade of a tall tree outside the Academy. Her hand dug into the bag around her shoulder as she ignored the idle chatter of the people in the yard. Her grandmother informed her earlier in the week that it was a tradition for her to attend the Academy graduation every year. Sakura had been roped into it and had woken up in the predawn hours in order to help make onigiri.

"Um…hello. Did you get an onigiri?" Handing the mentioned snack to the boy, recognition dawned on her, remembering that she had seen him in the school a few times by chance. Every time she had seen him, he had a determined, fierce look on his face but today, at a time when he should be celebrating, he seemed disheartened.

It appeared as though she had surprised him with her question but he recovered quickly and accepted the onigiri from her palm. "Thank you Sakura-san."

Her pink brows dipped down for just a second as she wondered how he knew her name but figured it was just because of the rumors and her grandmother. "You're welcome…uh…I'm sorry, what is your name?"

"My name is Rock Lee."

"It's nice to meet you Lee-san." Sakura smiled politely, the same practiced facial expression she gave to everyone she met. The other Academy graduates were talking excitedly with their peers and parents except for him. She wondered if he was like her, a loner.

"I have heard about you Sakura-san. The teachers say that you are improving more than any of the other students. To already be able to perform the clone and substitution jutsu after just three months. You must be a prodigy."

His odd avoidance of contractions threw her off slightly and his praises unexpectedly put her on edge. "Thank you. But I'm not a prodigy Lee-san."

"But you must be! How did you learn how to perform jutsu so quickly? I on the other hand cannot do a single ninjutsu. I am useless as a Shinobi." Lee ducked his head in shame.

"I worked hard to be able to do all that I can." It was a facet of the truth. When she first started training to become a Shinobi, she was almost quite literally trained into the ground. However, since she already knew how to perform the jutsu required by the Academy, she simply made a shadow clone and had it practice for her.

Sakura had never heard of a Shinobi who was unable to perform even the simplest of ninjutsu. He must have been exaggerating; she thought to herself as her mind got sidetracked wondering what the requirements of graduation were. There was a Jounin who was supposed to help her with her mission but she had only gotten one message from him or her.

She watched with wide eyes as Lee crushed the onigiri in his hands and grasped her own between his now sticky ones. "Please! There must be a secret technique or a training regime you went through in order to learn the jutsu!" Seeming to realize what he had done, he immediately released her hands and bowed low. "I am so sorry Sakura-san! I apologize for my rude behavior. What is worse, I wasted the food you prepared for us."

Uncomfortable with his outburst, she tried to calm him down with soft hands and an apologetic smile. "It's alright, Lee-san. But, I really did just practice every day for hours." It was another lie she fed him. She would normally leave it at that but she was sympathetic, it was obvious he cared greatly and he had the same drive she had when she first started training with the Akatsuki.

If possible, his face fell even further. "I understand. Thank you Sakura-san." He bowed to her again, the picture of propriety and manners.

"Uh, Lee-san?" Once he met her eyes, she smiled more warmly. "Those who work hard to achieve talent are more respectable than prodigies. You may not be able to perform jutsu, but I think you have more passion than others." Her words had a positive effect judging by the grin on the older boy's face. "I believe that passion will make you a very successful and talented Shinobi."

"Thank you Sakura-san. You are very wise for your age."

Her lips curved upwards, a semblance of the first genuine smile she had while in Konoha. "You're welcome Lee-san. Congratulations on becoming a Genin." She left him with another onigiri and continued going around until the bag was empty.

* * *

"Itachi-san, did you know that Sakura had family left? I heard the brat's staying with her grandmother. Heh. Guess that explains why she had to be with a member at all times. I thought it was just leader being over protective." Kisame's attempt at small talk almost always took him to the topic of Sakura. The two Shinobi took their time across the sweltering heat of the desert, where the only sounds were that of Kisame's talking and the occasional wind.

"Hn." Of course Itachi knew Sakura had family left. He had suspected something when he met her, which was why he kept pressing the issue of her origins. As a Shinobi for Konoha, Itachi had heard the story of Haruno Sakura but he hadn't paid much attention. When he became an ANBU operative, he didn't have the luxury to do side missions like search for a missing girl.

The five year old pink haired girl he met matched her description even though it didn't make sense that she would be in the hands of the Akatsuki. His mind had quickly strove to think of a reasonable explanation but found none.

As time progressed and because Sakura didn't seem to realize her connections in Konoha, Itachi didn't feel it was necessary to tell her of her only living relative, not when the Akatsuki had gone to such great lengths to keep the truth from her.

The members got updates every so often about Sakura and her progress in Konoha. She was doing well for the time being, successfully keeping herself under the radar of the Hokage and Sarutobi Asuma, who stopped trailing her after the first month. They had also heard she had her first contact with the Jounin they had helping her. It was for her written test scores. Based on what they projected, if she was to be in the same team as the Kyuubi, she needed the highest scores. It was not a challenge of course, as Sakura knew far too much for her age in the first place.

Finally, they learned that even after the first few months of being in Konoha, Sakura had yet to make contact with the Kyuubi at all. Itachi mentally commended her on her patience, as did most of the other members of the Akatsuki. However, the mission itself wasn't what was important. If Sakura failed to bring in the Kyuubi, it would be simple enough for anyone else in the organization.

What Itachi wanted to know and was the most curious about was whether or not she had met Sasuke, and her thoughts on returning to Konoha. Was she happier there? Would she want to return to the Akatsuki now that she found her grandmother? Would Sakura find out his crime and stay away from him? It was unlikely that the events of the Uchiha massacre would be revealed to her but for an inexplicable reason, he had a slight fear she would uncover it. If she did, would she join his brother? No different than any other mission, Itachi had more questions than could be answered and the hypothetical were weighing heavily on his mind.

* * *

In stark contrast to those around her, a young pink haired girl leisurely walked the streets of Konoha with no destination in mind. The mild weather was perfect for a stroll but Sakura didn't want to leave the limits of the village.

For once her mind wasn't preoccupied with anything in particular and she rather liked that she didn't have worrisome thoughts. Now that she had been in Konoha for about three months, she no longer received obvious stares of distrust except at the Academy. For some reason the girls there thought that she liked Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura still didn't know what his relationship to Itachi was but it was obvious that there was some sort of family tie.

Disregarding the fact that Sakura devoured any and all information, Sakura was curious beyond belief simply because she would learn about Itachi. She was practically drooling for the details. They could be brothers, cousins, even uncle and nephew. She even would have considered father and son if the age difference wasn't so small. Hell, they could be third cousins or some sort of far off relative but with their similar looks and even the way that they said "hn" the same way had her think that they were closer.

She _needed_ to know. Why had Itachi left Konoha? What was his relationship with Sasuke? What was Itachi like before he had joined the Akatsuki? Sakura wanted to know everything about the older Uchiha. Not only because she had feelings for him but because he was so mysterious. She knew she didn't have a chance getting straight answers from him. Even after three years of knowing each other and living together, he never divulged personal information.

In fact, Sakura knew more about his kekkei genkai, the Sharingan more than she knew about its wielder. The only reason for that was because she had looked it up.

Suddenly hearing a squishing sound, Sakura looked down to see that she had stepped in mud or what she hoped was mud. Groaning aloud, she spotted a rock next to the corner of a building she was passing and walked over to start scraping the bottom of her shoe off. One arm was outstretched with her hand on the building to keep her balance. She was almost done with she felt someone slam into her full force, knocking her to the ground.

Momentarily dazed, she heard a few people yelling in the distance. Standing up, she started dusting herself off. When she looked around to glare at the person who ran into her, she saw her target, Uzumaki Naruto straightening the goggles on his forehead. Footsteps grew louder and she could make out the name that they were calling. Realizing that they were after him, Sakura pulled him away from the street and started sprinting away from the commotion.

Seeing a narrow alleyway, Sakura pulled him into it and held her breath as the angry mob passed them by.

"Wow! Thanks Sakura-chan! I'm sorry I ran into you earlier." He had the grace to look apologetic even as he flashed her a giant grin.

"You're welcome. Why were they chasing you?" Happy for her good luck, Sakura finished dusting herself off and moved her hair away from her face.

"Heh heh." Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave her a sheepish smile. "I just decorated the outside of their houses."

"You mean graffiti." Shaking her head at his immaturity, Sakura couldn't pass up the opportunity to speak to him outside of class. "I was going to eat lunch. Do you want to join me?"

"Really Sakura-chan? What about ramen. I know a great place and I have a coupon we can use for a second bowl of ramen for free!"

He simply looked too excited for her to deny him so she agreed. As they walked side by side, Sakura couldn't help but ask. "Why did you graffiti those people's houses?

Naruto moved his hands from cradling the back of his head to place them in his pockets. His orange clothes had spots of paint and dirt but he didn't seem to care. He shrugged and kicked up dust as his foot connected with a pebble on the street. "It doesn't matter, they can't tell on me anyway."

Sakura tilted her head to the side. His mood had changed so drastically. "Are your parents…on a mission?"

He shook his head, before his demeanor changed again. "There it is! Ichiraku!" He ran off before her and sure enough, there was a ramen shop. "Come on Sakura-chan!"

Trailing behind him, Sakura sat next to the now hyperactive boy on the counter and ordered a miso ramen.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?" His chopsticks were already in his hands, awaiting the bowl of ramen he just ordered. He wasn't even paying attention to her.

Any remarks about her own parents died on her lips and so did saying that she understood what he was going through. It had taken three months in Konoha to simply talk to Naruto. "I'll pay for lunch." She said instead, with a bright smile.

"Really Sakura-chan?! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Ramen is my favorite you know." His blue eyes unbelievably wide, his attention was drawn away from the cook as he looked at her with a grin that took over his face.

Sakura laughed for the first time in three months. "I can see that Naruto. I got money last week from obaasan for…my birthday."

"It was your birthday?"

She shook her head. "It was my mother's. My birthday was almost 7 months ago."

"Then why did your obaasan give you a present last week?" Smiling sadly, Sakura pointed to the two large bowls coming towards them. She could tell she had to spell things out for him. Naruto never stopped to think or tried to analyze any information.

"She must have gotten the dates mixed up. There's our lunch."

* * *

Starving, and though the food was hot, Naruto practically inhaled his ramen. However, as he continued to think about what Sakura had said, he began to slow down and take the time to chew. "Sakura-chan. I think we're similar."

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?"

"We both grew up without our parents and the village doesn't like us very much." When Sakura had first started attending the Academy, Naruto realized that Sakura was an orphan after overhearing a couple of girls in the class gossip about it. He'd wanted to get closer to her in the hopes that they would become friends. After class, he ran after her and overheard two adults discuss something about distrust and avoidance.

It caused Naruto to abruptly stop in his pursuit as he found out they were more similar than he realized. Still, he had always wanted someone who understood him and his loneliness within the village and it seemed as though he got one. But they had never spoken to each other before. Sakura appeared reserved in a lot of ways and cold. Naruto didn't want the friendship he fantasized about in his mind to be just a dream. Her melodic voice took him out of his reverie and his food.

"Naruto-kun, why do you stay here? I mean, if the villagers all dislike you, wouldn't it be better to move?"

He swallowed the food in his mouth before answering her question. "I've never left the village before. Besides, I'm going to be the next Hokage! That way, everyone will have to respect and acknowledge me."

It was his dream, one that he had no qualms about expressing. He was going to show everyone that he was strong enough to become the Hokage and prove that he wasn't a failure. He knew he wasn't the best in the class but he was the most motivated. That was for sure. Why limit himself, he mused. He was going to become the strongest ninja ever!

"Sakura-chan, do you think about leaving Konoha?" He turned his head to her, waiting for her answer though she fell silent.

"Sometimes I think that's what everyone wants me to do." Naruto dropped his chopsticks in his nearly empty bowl and shook his head violently.

"You can't do that Sakura-chan! Leaving is like giving up! Besides, you're my friend. You can't leave." Giving her a bright smile, he held his face in the same expression until she eventually smiled back at him.

"Where were you before you came back to the village?"

"Kirigakure. I was in an orphanage there but none of the people really accepted me. I thought that if I came to Konoha, I would at least be among friends. Thank you Naruto-kun."

"You're welcome Sakura-chan! No one in the village understands what it's like."

She nodded solemnly "like we're nonentities."

"What does that mean?" His new friend was really smart and he was lost.

"It means they don't see us, they consider us unimportant."

"Exactly! But once I become the Hokage, all of that will change. When we become famous ninja, everything will change."

Naruto was elated. At last, there was someone like him. Someone who understood his pain and loneliness and more importantly, she considered him a friend. Suddenly, their earlier topic came to mind as he finished his ramen. Her grandmother had thought that Sakura's birthday was her mothers. Sakura still had family left but there were also problems? Did that mean her grandmother thought Sakura was her mother? Feeling guilty for thinking she was more fortunate than him, Naruto realized that there were things about Sakura that he couldn't understand.

He had been alone for so long that the thought of any family whatsoever sounded like a dream. Yet, the pretty girl next to him was sad for it.

* * *

The next day, Sakura awoke relieved that some progress was being made on her mission. After their lunch, Sakura and Naruto had talked for a few minutes on their lives and their future dreams. She hadn't found an opening to have him leave the village as of yet but she had gained his trust and friendship, two things that would definitely help in the future.

The weight that had been lifted from her was tremendous. She no longer felt the nagging or the worry while in class. The chance meeting was like a gift, something proving that things were going right.

Her joyfulness was interrupted when Iruka announced their taijutsu matchups for the day. Everyone was to go twice and both of her opponents were troublesome for very different reasons. Yamanaka Ino was one of the girls who accused her of having a crush on Sasuke. Every part of her loathed having to hold back against her but it was something that had to be done. Her luck had turned.

When their match came up, Sakura mostly dodged and took hits to her less vital points. Even then, she could feel herself moving away from each attack and had to force herself to stop quickly in order to meet the punch or kick. Slowing her movements, she heard the boisterous yelling of her name. Naruto was the only one cheering for her. With an inward smile, Sakura advanced in her attack.

A right cross sent the other girl stumbling back and again, through years of practice, Sakura's hands made the first hand sign. Growling with annoyance at the taijutsu match, Sakura forced her hands apart and leapt at Ino with a flying kick, which hit her squarely on the chest.

Purposely taking huge gulps of air to appear winded, Sakura inched forward. She had sweat and dirt on her face and she knew that she had a few bruises around her body. When the blonde haired Kunoichi got up, Sakura sighed, knowing she had to lose another fight.

When Iruka finally stopped the match only five minutes in, Ino was the victor. However, she did receive praise for improving so drastically in so little time. Even so, Sakura was still considered one of the weakest in taijutsu and ninjutsu fights.

In Naruto's fight, Sakura carefully observed his movements and determined his abilities. He was a bit crass and never thought through his attacks just like his words, but he had tremendous stamina. After the five minutes were up, he wasn't even breathing heavily. She also knew from the ninjutsu training that his chakra levels were much higher than what a normal boy his age should have. It left fighting him and dragging him away from the village out of the question. Unless, she was with him after he completely tired himself out fighting another person.

Her second opponent surprised everyone. When Naruto spoke up on her behalf, Iruka simply answered with an "everyone fights each person in this class at least once". As soon as the names were called, Sakura realized that her luck the day before was simply a fluke. Her opponent was Uchiha Sasuke.

Facing off against arguably the most talented student in their class, Sakura prepared herself for a quick defeat. After all, if she couldn't even defeat Ino, there was no way she could justify or explain defeating Sasuke.

Cursing her bad luck, Sakura maneuvered around the makeshift arena behind the Academy and all but ran away from each of his attacks. While Naruto exhibited a headlong tendency to fight, she could feel Sasuke's eyes analyzing her movements. If she wasn't careful, he could potentially see through her deceptions. She only hoped he didn't use the Sharingan, that is, if he even had it.

Moving quickly enough to dodge or block most of his attacks, Sakura however, couldn't afford to make any counters or attacks of her own.

She could tell he was getting frustrated at her constant running away but she couldn't exactly do much else. Two minutes in, Sakura took a punch to her gut that she couldn't escape. Taking the blow, she fell to her knees while Iruka called off the fight.

She was fine of course; having moved away enough that it really just grazed her but would leave a small bruise.

"You're too weak to be a ninja." Over her slight coughing and winded state, she distinctly heard his words as he walked past her. Sakura glared at his retreating back and straight at the fan on his clothes. How dare he say that and in a voice that so reminded her of Itachi. It was like being kicked while she was already down. He wasn't even worthy of being related to Uchiha Itachi and in that moment, Sakura despised her role in the mission. She despised having to put up a front of being weak when she wasn't.

She heard the other girls yell Sasuke's name, congratulating him on the fight and remarking on how cool he was. It made Sakura sick and her anger got the better of her, shattering her coolheaded façade.

Wiping the spittle from her chin with her arm, Sakura rose to her feet. "Wait, Iruka-sensei. The time has not ended yet. Please, allow us to finish."

She didn't know what possessed her to make such a request, especially when there was nothing more she could do. All she wanted was to not appear weak. Sakura still had the desire to keep fighting.

Iruka eventually caved to the determined look in her eyes and Sasuke once again appeared in front of her. He was nothing like Itachi. Never, in any of their training sessions the past three years, had Itachi put her down as Sasuke just did.

Getting into a fighting stance, Sakura increased her speed only slightly but enough to keep Sasuke blocking and dodging her attacks. Feigning left, Sakura hit him with a kick to his side, sliding him back in the dirt. When he grabbed her leg, Sakura aimed a punch at his head but he jerked it back. Countering with an elbow he couldn't escape, Sakura heard gasps and sudden silence.

As the fight continued, the rational side of her fled her mind completely as she grabbed his arm after dodging a punch and threw him over her shoulder, effectively using his momentum against him. When his back blew up dust from the ground, Sakura smirked. "You shouldn't act all high and mighty Sasuke-kun." Mocking him, Sakura watched as he swiftly got to his feet and hit her with a combo attack that sent her reeling. Tasting blood, Sakura once again whipped her chin, panting.

When Iruka called time, Sakura appeared close to passing out and once again, she had lost. Appropriate as she'd just contended with one of the top students in the Academy. On her back and saved from another blow, she rose gingerly, dusting off her clothes. A yellow and orange blur bolted for her. Naruto held her up, yelling at the top of his lungs about how cool she looked and that she was awesome. Managing a smile back at him, Sakura limped back to the other students with his help.

Glancing at Sasuke, she saw his expressionless face as he took his spot, ignoring the girls in class. They shot glares at Sakura, displeased with her treatment of their idol. It felt good beyond words to be able to knock the Uchiha back a peg. How dare he call her weak! Once the mission was over, Sakura was going to beat him to a pulp.

For now, she would explain her progress as training and adrenaline. Consequences be damned, she'd let off some stress.

"That was amazing Sakura-chan! How do you train? We should train together!"

Naruto was still next to her, speaking loudly in her ear even as another pair started their fight. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I don't really know what came over me." Smiling sheepishly, Sakura didn't have the heart to tell him she trained with her grandmother. It would be akin to rubbing salt in his wound. Besides, she feared that if she got unnecessarily too close to him, it would make someone wary of her intentions towards him. She was balancing herself on a thin line, the same as with everything else.

He punched the air in front of him and kept going on about her fight. "You gave him the one two and he was so stunned. Did you see him? Serves that Sasuke right."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Thank you Naruto-kun. But I doubt it'll happen again. I just caught Sasuke-kun off guard." Judging by the stiffness in the Uchiha's back, Sakura guessed he had heard her.

* * *

**Don't forget to review. It lets me know you liked it and provides important feedback. I hope you like the spine I gave Sakura in the end. I was fed up writing her as some weakling. The next chapter will be the start of canon. Don't worry, I won't change too much and I'll try not to make it weird. I also tried to explain why Naruto and Lee start liking her. In the manga, it just seemed like Naruto liked her for her looks and Lee randomly falls in love with her at first sight. It was very, very annoying for me. **


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry about the late post. Thankfully I've decided to focus on this story and place Half of You on the back burner for now. I was concerned about threats or flames for not updating but I seem to have very mature and reasonable fans reading this fic as I've gotten nothing but support and wonderful comments and suggestions.**

**Once again, I don't own Naruto and this is not for profit. I've also decided on who Sakura will fight during the Chunin exams and it's a doozy. Look forward to it!**

**There don't really seem to be questions to answer so let's get on with the story!**

* * *

He surveyed the three profiles in front of him, musing on just how interesting they were proving to be. Uchiha Sasuke, the last surviving member of the once powerful Uchiha clan. Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuriki for the Kyubbi. Haruno Sakura, the most intelligent genin Konoha had to offer.

Their personalities were as drastically different as their appearances. Sasuke was a serious young boy who considered himself to be better than his peers. Recalling how he'd announced to the team that his dream in life was to kill someone made it clear that he only lived for revenge. The dark haired Genin was talented, though nowhere near the level of his enemy at the same age. Still, he had potential and of course the Sharingan to consider.

Naruto on the other hand was an outspoken and hyperactive ninja, whose real power was in his immense chakra levels. To be able to make dozens of shadow clones at once was not a small feat. If what Iruka said was true, Naruto's untapped chakra was larger than his own. If Naruto was able to focus himself, he could potentially become the Hokage like he dreamed.

It was hard to gauge Sakura's talents as she'd done little to nothing during their first test. While it was clear her intelligence was much higher than the other Genin or any Academy student in recent years, she hadn't displayed any field techniques. However, Kakashi found out that she was talented with her chakra control and was a fair taijutsu user from the Hokage and her grandmother. Kakashi also sensed she was holding herself back.

With her eye catching and distinctive pink hair, he questioned her future as a Kunoichi. To be honest, she seemed better suited behind a desk, perhaps even rising to become the Hokage's assistant. She seemed intelligent enough but just like the other girls her age, she seemed more concerned with her looks as her hair reached the middle of her back and her clothes were more for fashion than function.

He skimmed the notes he had of her. _Likes: reading. Hates: people who underestimate her. Dreams: to protect the people she loves. _He wouldn't assume anything of her abilities, especially since he suspected she knew much more than she let on. But he was more wary of Sakura than anyone else in his team. Not only did the girl possess secrets but she had hidden abilities that she didn't tell anyone. Kakashi just didn't know how far those abilities went and where she had learned them.

Yes, his first Genin students were interesting. Each of them required special attention for different reasons as well. Sasuke because of his importance to the village with the kekkei genkai, Naruto for the kyuubi he hosted, and Sakura for her extended absence from the village. Hatake Kakashi had his work cut out for him.

As their sensei and team leader, he needed to know not only their abilities as a ninja but also their motivations, goals, and personalities. He wasn't the type to get attached to people easily but his new students each had a quality which endeared them to him. Kakashi's sharingan tied him to Sasuke. Naruto's father had been Kakshi's Jounin sensei and Sakura oddly reminded him of one of his childhood friends.

As he started clearing up, he couldn't stop his thoughts from turning back to Sakura. She showed the least amount of skill and yet there was something about the bell test that had him curious about her. While Naruto was incapacitated by his trap, Kakashi had lured Sasuke out. He had thought Sakura would stay put but instead, she ran after him. She was easy to spot of course but when he had tried to place a genjutsu on her, it wouldn't work. The young pink haired girl had used a clone which he easily dispatched with a kunai. With Sasuke out in the open, Kakashi hadn't had the time to look for the real her. However, he was impressed with the way she used a clone as a distraction to further obscure her location.

Since Naruto had taken it upon himself to cheat, the Jounin was forced to end the test early, thereby missing the chance to go against the only female on their team. When he had scolded them for being unable to figure out the purpose of the test, Sakura was the closest in looking underneath the underneath. She had known it was a fruitless effort to go up against him one on one but had no means of getting everyone together. She was smart but had no leadership qualities. Naruto was almost too simple minded to lead a team and Sasuke was too independent. Kakashi shook his head, wondering whether or not he had angered or slighted the Hokage in some way.

* * *

_With a mixture of relief and excitement, the newly made three man team all smiled brightly. "Our first mission assignment is tomorrow at 10. Dismissed." Just as she was about to leave, a voice stopped her. "Sakura, could I speak to you for a moment." _

_She supposed it was intended to come across as a carefree question but it seemed more like an order. Catching Naruto's worried gaze, Sakura turned to her new teacher again. "Yes Kakashi-sensei?"_

_"I wanted to ask why you never tried to go for the bells" His demeanor was unmistakably laidback, with his hands in his pockets and his back hunched over slightly. _

_"It was an impossible test. As soon as you took out your book and started reading during our training, it was obvious we stood no chance. A Jounin against three new Genin is nearly laughable. Saskue-kun is the best ninja in our class. His ninjutsu and taijutsu are good but no match for someone like you. Besides, those can be countered by someone who knows more nature attacks. While Naruto-kun is talented with his shadow clones, they're easy to counter, as you showed us. Though he's my friend, his skills in other areas are simply passable for the Academy. My skills on the other hand are nowhere near a Jounin's. I could have been a long distance attacker, throwing shuriken and kunai but you would dodge or catch them all and use them against us. The outcome was determined from the start. Our match today was the equivalent of a mouse, a squirrel, and a rabbit going up against a fox." _

_She was disappointed when her analysis didn't surprise or impress the older Shinobi. "Iruka-sensei was right; you are a very bright student. You realistically gauge both the opponent and the fight." She had a brief second of pride. "However, you missed the point entirely. You could have all the knowledge in the world, Sakura-chan but if you don't use it, it will be useless. There are times in a ninja's life when there is no alternative but to fight. What if you were on a mission and Naruto was discovered by an opponent who was much stronger than you. Would you and Sasuke leave him to fight alone?"_

_She was silent for a while, digesting what her new teacher had just told her. Remembering his words from a few minutes earlier, Sakura repeated them. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." _

_His partially gloved hand came up to pat her head, ignoring her small flinch at the gesture; his visible eye crinkled in what she assumed was a smile. "Good." _

Shaking her head at the memory of her talk with Hatake Kakashi, Sakura wondered just how unlucky she was. THE Hatake Kakashi was her leader and teacher, a man she was both curious about and worried of. While he didn't appear like much, showing up late for their first meeting and falling for an obvious prank by Naruto, not to mention a horrible liar, he was a talented Shinobi. "How can I ever hope to fool him?" She thought to herself aloud.

It was getting increasingly frustrating, even with her closer relationship to the Kyuubi, the other pieces on the board were interfering more than she had expected. Sasuke was also a problem. Her stunt back in the Academy had left a lasting impression on the usually stoic Uchiha. Even after the bell test and their lesson on teamwork, Sasuke never talked to her more than what was necessary. In fact, outside of training sessions or missions, they hadn't conversed at all.

Undoing her hitai-ate and bringing it in front of her, Sakura looked down on the metal and traced her fingers over the mark for Konhagakure. She was officially a Shinobi now and it finally dawned on her that if she returned to the Akatsuki, it would be as a missing-nin. Sakura would be leaving behind her grandmother and turning her back on the village her mother and father grew up in.

Her eyes slowly took in everything in her room. This wasn't her room. Her home was with the Akatsuki, with the new family she had found when her real one had been killed. Placing the new hitai-ate on her nightstand, Sakura pulled the sheets back and settled into bed. She was still okay she assured herself. Sakura was still loyal to the Akatsuki. With a yawn, she closed her green eyes and got comfortable, before quickly falling asleep.

* * *

**A Few Weeks Later**

The chance she was waiting for opened up when Naruto's insistence on a C-rank mission took them out of the village for the first time. Now, all she needed was an opportunity. Which was slim to none considering Kakashi was watchful and far too intelligent even when he didn't appear so. One wrong move and she could fail or worse, be killed by Kakashi. The only silver lining to the entire thing was that Naruto was an idiot. It wouldn't take much to get him to follow her whether it was through a lie or a genjutsu and once they were closer to an Akatsuki base, it would only be a matter of getting a Jounin to subdue him since she wasn't strong enough to carry him for long distances.

Her uncertainty and concern must have shown on her face because though they were only a few feet from the main gates of Konoha, Kakashi flashed her a creased eye, which she took to mean his attempt at a reassuring smile. Sakura feebly smiled back, Naruto's loud voice reverberating in the background of her troubled thoughts. She rolled her shoulders, trying to relax before Kakashi suspected anything more than a Genin's jitters during a mission.

The mission itself was fairly simple, escort a bridge builder named Tazuna to Nami no Kuni. She tried to map out their route in her head but she only knew the general direction they were going. There would be no opportunities for her while they were on the road. Hopefully once they arrived in Nami no Kuni, they would take shifts protecting him and/or training. If she was paired with Naruto, she could have a few hours before Kakashi noticed they were gone. The nearest Akatsuki base would be…across the water near Kirigakure.

Inwardly pulling her hair and cursing her bad luck, Sakura almost mindlessly followed the group. She tried to come up with a viable plan but to no avail. It seemed as though all of her efforts were wasted. There was no outcome; no number of fortunate turns except for Kakashi's death on their way to or from Nami no Kuni that would ensure the success of her plan.

The Akatsuki base was simply too far away no matter which route they took. Done trying to figure out a way to capture Naruto on their mission, Sakura's thoughts wandered aimlessly, taking in the bright sunny afternoon. She felt somewhat comfortable after a while, no longer concerned with logistics or any mission she had. A year passed and she was making progress, which was all she could ask for.

She was so wrapped up in the motions; she didn't notice the danger until she heard the sound of metal against metal. Attacked from behind, she saw Kakashi cut apart before her eyes by a chain connecting their two attackers as Naruto yelled out for the Jounin.

Before she could react, the two enemy Shinobi moved around the rest of the group to go after Naruto. Sakura's first instinct was to get to a safe place and watch the fight. Her legs tensed to jump to high ground but she froze when Sasuke leaped forward to save their teammate.

Even Naruto seemed to freeze in shock and fear as Sasuke immobilized the two Shinobi, who as she could now see were from Kirigakure judging from their hitai-ate.

With the weird chain connecting the two Shinobi severed by Sasuke, their attackers had no choice but to split up. One went for Naruto again while the other headed straight for Tazuna. Sakura's eyes widened. She was the closest to the bridge builder. She had to do something.

The pink haired girl rushed to guard the client, a kunai the only thing in her hands. But before she could engage the enemy, a familiar figure appeared before her. Sakura's mind rushed to compensate for her slow response. However, Kakashi grabbed the Shinobi, saving Sasuke from a fight, the other Shinobi already defeated in his other arm.

Simply accepting that Kakashi used a clone or a substitution jutsu, Sakura was busy trying to figure out why she didn't act or fight as she was trained to. Her hand clenched around the kunai until her nails started digging into her palms.

Sakura didn't hear Kakashi praise her action and had no interest in anything that was going on around her. Her eyes stark, Sakura only heard the words of Pein, Konan, Itachi, Sasori, and Kisame, all telling her the same thing. _Stay out of the way. Don't engage. This isn't your fight. Just watch. Observe. _

The two Chunin from Kirigakure weren't even the first people she went up against but their sudden arrival made her pause. Just as Pein had instructed, her reaction was to camouflage herself and get away from the fight. Despicable. She cursed herself anew for her cowardice. But she had been conditioned by all of the Akatsuki members to run away from a fight or to simply watch.

While she was worked to the bone during her training, she knew she was never in any danger. Sakura had always thought training to be a game of sorts. Training was a battle of mind as much as body and she saw it as a challenge. If she failed, she would always get another chance and if she succeeded, she would be praised. Sakura believed she was ready for anything, that training with the Akatsuki was preparing her. But this wasn't a training session and she had frozen up.

While Kakashi interrogated their attackers, Sakura couldn't get the image of Sasuke and her teacher saving her. She couldn't get the feeling of helplessness and alarm out of her system. She should have been the one best prepared for an attack. She always thought of herself being more intelligent than those around her. While Kakashi explained how he found out about them before the Kirigakure Shinobi showed themselves, Sakura realized just how naïve and overconfident she was.

She wasn't prepared. Not in the slightest. Her ego taking the brunt of the hit, she finally loosened the hold on her kunai and put it away. She wasn't as intelligent or observant as she thought and she was completely at their mercy.

Sasuke acted as though he had done everything before, or had seen the charge coming. She would have been saved by him and she had been saved by Kakashi. The pink haired Kunoichi was so caught up in herself that she didn't notice Naruto take a kunai to his hand. Surprised, all thought ceased as she listened to the blond boy's speech.

"Why am I so different? Why am I always…Damn it! I should be stronger…I've trained myself and I've practiced techniques every day. I'm never going to do something that will require someone else's help. I'm never going to be frightened or try to back out of things. I'm not going to lose to Sasuke. I vow that to the pain in my left hand. I'm going to protect the old man with this kunai. The mission is still on!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile at Naruto's declaration and she inwardly nodded, finally respecting the boy. For all of his stupidity, childish behavior, and loud outbursts, Naruto had determination and heart.

She looked down at the indents her fingernails left on her right palm, still deeply pensive.

* * *

"She's been gone for over a year. Don't you think it's time to call her back?" Konan stopped abruptly, finally speaking up about her concerns.

"Sakura's progressing well. At least, that is what Rui is telling us."

"And you think to trust him? He's one of Madara's." Rui was the Jounin in charge of watching over Sakura while she was in Konoha. But it was clear he had no intention of keeping her safe. Konan suspected he was the reason Sakura was paired with Uchiha Sasuke and was under the watchful eye of Hatake Kakashi.

Rui's job was to look out for her and assist her whenever she needed it but all he seemed to be good for was relaying updates. He wouldn't even allow Sakura to send coded messages or receive anything, much to Konan's disappointment.

Pein turned his head to look at his partner's concerned expression. "If she fails, Rui will most likely kill her." His tone was neutral, causing her to question whether or not he cared for Sakura's well-being. But she knew that Pein truly did care for Sakura. He had his reasons for sending Sakura out but Konan believed the danger outweighed any benefit they could gain.

"Then we should kill him first." Konan's eyes hardened, promising death to whoever even thought of harming Sakura, the child who was like a daughter to her.

"He can't get to her while she's away from Konoha."

"You know who's after them now. Zabuza is a threat. I'll go after her myself." Konan tried to convince Pein to do the right thing and call Sakura away from Konoha and from the pointless mission.

"Sakura may find an opportunity to steal the Kyuubi away."

"There will be other opportunities. If Kakashi falls in battle, Zabuza will kill her. She won't stand a chance against him." Konan tried to appeal to Pein's protective instinct when it came to the pink haired girl but he simply responded by walking away from the conversation.

The Kunoichi had no choice but to silently follow him, trying to convince herself that Pein knew what he was doing and that Sakura would be safe. But deep down she was worried. This mission was more about Sakura than it was about Naruto. If Sakura didn't succeed in her real mission, there would be no coming back to the Akatsuki and she would be killed, quite possibly by Pein. Konan prayed that the years with Sakura were enough, that she cared about them enough to come back because more than anything, Konan wanted to see a smiling face in the Akatsuki. Sakura gave her something to fight for, someone to protect and she _would _protect her. Even if it was against Uchiha Madara. And even if it was against Pein.

* * *

The group eventually entered Nami no Kuni with no other Shinobi in sight. Naruto had even been uncharacteristically tame during their trip. That was until he decided to start throwing his kunai into bushes and nearly maimed a rabbit. Shaking her head at his antics, Sakura clobbered him once on the head for his rash actions. He was making too much noise and he was wasting his weapons.

Naruto hugged the poor white rabbit to his chest, repeatedly apologizing to it while everyone else shook their heads at the hot blooded boy. After putting everyone on high alert, they all calmed down somewhat, thinking that it was just a false alarm.

"Everybody duck!" Kakashi's command drew everyone's attention and they all did as he told them just in time to evade a swinging blade. The sword imbedded itself into the trunk of a tree almost splitting it in half. When she rose, she saw the back of a Shinobi, whose hitai-ate belonged to Kirigakure.

Sakura would not have recognized him if it weren't for Kakshi's introduction of the Shinobi. Momochi Zabuza. The Demon of the Hidden mist. Sakura shivered, having read about him in the Bingo Book. The man was one of Kirigakure's seven ninja swordsmen of the mist and just like Kisame; he was deadly with his sword. The three Genin were definitely no match for him. Drawing a kunai from her pouch slowly, Sakura armed herself and her legs tensed once again, prepared to leap away but she was suddenly too terrified to get angry at herself.

As usual, Naruto tried to rush off without thinking but was stopped by Kakashi. "You're in the way. Stay back, everyone." The Jounin's usually carefree tone was suddenly serious, cementing what Sakura already knew. A fight with Zabuza would mean certain death.

Oblivious to the severity of the current situation, Naruto demanded to know the reason they were sitting this one out.

"He's different from the guys we met before. If he's our enemy, I can't win like this." Kakashi answered him, his hand going to his hitai-ate. Sakura's eyes widened in anticipation.

"I'm guessing you're Sharingan no Kakashi." Sakura couldn't stop the shiver and the fear that traced up her spine like ice at Zabuza's voice. If he knew about the Sharingan, it would be harder it catch him off guard.

At Kakashi's instructions not to join the battle and to protect Tazuna, Sakura heard not only his voice but the voice of Pein. She knew the command well and acted accordingly, placing herself firmly by Tazuna's side even as Sasuke explained to Naruto what the Sharingan was and what it did. Sakura's mind was racing to figure her way out of the danger and she was too preoccupied to pay attention to Sasuke.

As the mist settled in and it was clear the battle was about to start, her two teammates completed their formation around Tazuna, each with a kunai in their hands. When she had hoped for Kakashi's death earlier, it wasn't with this in mind. If Kakashi were to lose, they would all be killed.

Zabuza's first technique was easy to identify, and one she was familiar with. His mist concealment made it difficult to locate him and with the natural mist aiding his technique, it caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. They couldn't even see Kakashi who was only a few feet in front of them.

"Eight points." Zabuza's voice seemed to drift around them from all directions. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want me to strike?" Sakura shifted, trying to figure out where Zabuza was hiding and fought the urge to make a water clone.

Kakashi's sudden blast of chakra removed most of the mist and he replaced it with his immense killing intent. Sakura had felt killing intent before, but it was never like this. She suddenly realized she had to choose between her cover and possibly protecting her life. When the gravity of the situation finally hit her, Sakura once again tensed to flee.

"Sasuke. Don't worry, I'll protect the three of you with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die." Kakashi looked back at them with an eye crease, calming some of her nerves. She had read about Kakashi, knew the power of the Sharingan. Out of everyone in Konoha, he was the one who could keep them safe. At least, that was what she hoped.

Faster than she could detect, Zabuza penetrated their formation, revealing himself from his mist. "I don't know about that. This is the end." As they all dove out of the way, Kakashi lunged forward and drove a kunai into Zabuza's abdomen.

* * *

Kakashi had been out for most of the night and would most likely be unable to move for a few days at the least. She had considered taking this chance believing that it was perhaps her only chance at kidnapping the Kyuubi but it wasn't perfect. They weren't on the road anymore so there was no reasonable way to lead Naruto out of Nami no Kuni and she wouldn't get far if she was forced to carry him. Did she let this opportunity pass and wait for a better one in the future? If she proved her loyalty by staying and not attempting anything, she would definitely earn Kakashi's trust if he was wary of her.

After they successfully moved Kakashi into Tazuna's house, she had offered to go to the market with Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. She had seen the state of Nami no Kuni and the despair of the people living there with no hope and no future. She had even given some candy to a child in compassion. If Gato was as bad as they said, Tazuna wouldn't be safe for long. How could she take away their only hope of a better life just to complete a mission? Sakura couldn't do that to them no matter how much she wished to go back to the Akatsuki. Though she knew it was the right thing to do, it still weighed heavily on her mind. Her decision would put herself and her mission at risk. It would also mean trying to be patient.

"Sakura?" Her attention turned to the man who was now awake and attempting to rise.

"You shouldn't get up yet." Sakura gently pushed him back with a hand on his shoulder.

"How long was I out?" Surprisingly, he did as she bid and eased back, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"A few hours. But you should rest more."

Kakashi cleared his throat, "and why are you up, Sakura?"

"I just wanted to check on you before going to sleep." Though it wasn't a lie, Sakura grew pensive once more.

"Is something on your mind, Sakura-chan?" The question caught Sakura off guard and she reminded herself to be careful.

"…No, it's nothing. I just…I didn't fight today. I didn't do anything. All I do is think and plan and analyze." The admission shocked her. She didn't confide in others but for some reason she voiced her biggest worry to Kakashi. Perhaps it was because she desperately desired guidance.

"Why didn't you fight?" His voice was a bit stronger but he still seemed exhausted and weak.

"I-I don't know." She lowered her head as she clenched her hands next to her lap.

"Sakura?" The pink haired girl ignored him, trying to figure out the answer to his question. Was it fear? Her conditioning by the Akatsuki? Inexperience in real combat?

"I don't know. After all my training and hard work, I wasn't able to fight."

"You were protecting Tazuna-san, doing your mission."

"You don't believe that Kakshi-sensei and I don't believe that."

The moonlight hit his silver hair and illuminated just how tired he appeared. She truly could take him while he was in this state. "You were going up against a much stronger opponent, and this is your first real mission. It's understandable."

His rational made sense but it left a bitter taste in Sakura's mouth. Naruto and Sasuke were more inexperienced and yet they came up with a plan on the spot and fought Zabuza. "You should rest more Kakashi-sensei. Good night."

Leaving the Shinobi to heal, Sakura silently walked out for some fresh air. It appeared as though anything and everything was going wrong during her mission. The Kunoichi had been inactive during the fight with Zabuza, unsure if she should engage in the battle. Zabuza was more powerful in water based attacks than Sakura and fire based attacks would have no effect. She had been stuck, unable to defend herself and unable show Kakashi her abilities. She didn't think she had ever been so helpless, unable to use her skills to save herself and forced to watch as others saved her. Lying to others about her abilities was taking an unexpected toll on her.

With a heavy heart, Sakura breathed in deeply and exhaled an uneasy sigh. She had to figure out her next steps and she had to figure them out quickly. She wanted to ask Itachi or Pein what she should do. The talk with Kakashi helped little. Looking back on it, it seemed as though he pitied her or was mocking her in some way. Poor little Sakura, she can't do anything by herself and right now, she was inclined to agree.

* * *

**Again, thank you very much for your understanding. I have the outline for the next chapter and I hope you liked the development as well as the liberties I took with the manga. As you can tell, this is the start of Naruto and while I tried to give my own flair, I also tried to stay true to the manga as well and tried not to deviate too much from the series. While this Sakura is much stronger than in the series, I wanted to keep her from becoming too much of a Mary Sue. As such, I knocked her down a peg and gave her something to improve on. While, she has faced death before and of course killing intent, I think a Jounin would be far more intimidating. I tried to work in Itachi somehow but didn't want to keep repeating the same scenes so I kept him out of this one. I also don't think he would keep tabs on her himself in this stage of the fic.  
**

**Unfortunately, this chapter didn't meet the 5,000 word mark, which I try to achieve for every chapter but I thought this was a good stopping point so I don't have unneeded scenes that don't push the plot. **

**Finally, I will be adding a character to the next chapter so that while Kakashi fights Zabuza and Naruto and Sasuke fight Haku, Sakura will be fighting someone as well so she'll be confident but humble. Fingers crossed for speedy writing.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm so sorry, it's been too long. This chapter has given me some problems and I don't have a whole lot of time to write with school and work and such. Thank you for your continued support as well as your understanding. Don't forget to review! **

* * *

While Sasuke and Naruto fought Zabuza's companion and Kakashi engaged Zabuza, Sakura had been left to protect the bridge builder. She was once again left with watching from the sidelines. Though she longed to fight and prove herself, she knew she couldn't risk doing so while Kakashi was around. In front of Tazuna with a kunai, Sakura kept her senses open in case another enemy appeared.

Sure enough, the telltale sound of shuriken and kunai in the air alerted her to the presence of another Shinobi on the bridge. Tensing, Sakura deflected the metal while Tazuna looked around wildly.

A figure slowly emerged from the dense fog but Sakura immediately identified him as a Kirigakure ninja from the hitai-ate on his head. "My, my, a pretty girl as my opponent." The dark haired Shinobi sneered at her. "Hand over the bridge builder and you won't scar that pretty face of yours."

"Tazuna-san, stay close." Hearing a grunt of agreement from behind her, Sakura shook her head at the newcomer. "You'll have to go through me first." She could do this she thought. At the very least, Sakura could stall for Kakashi to finish his fight. All she had to do was keep Tazuna safe.

"I was hoping you would say that. What is your name girl?" The fact that the Shinobi before her referred to her so condescendingly annoyed her, especially when he looked younger than Kakashi.

"I am Haruno Sakura, a Genin from Konoha."

"A Genin. You have no chance. My name is Nakamura Akira, a Chunin from Kirigakure under Gato's orders."

She inwardly smiled when he took the bait and revealed his rank. "So you're working with Zabuza."

Akira shook his head and laughed at her. "Gato doesn't trust Zabuza anymore so hired me to take them both out."

Scoffing at his arrogance, Sakura prepared herself for the fight. Before any more words could be exchanged, a clone attacked her from the side, forcing her to shield Tazuna with her body as their kunai clashed. Though physically stronger than her, Sakura was able to push him away and throw a shuriken. The one that she had been talking with rushed forward and Sakura met him head on, determined to fight. Though it was easy to keep her ninjutsu to a minimum, Sakura couldn't purposely slow her reaction time or her speed.

It was a challenge to always keep a clone or herself close to Tazuna but she couldn't risk his life. Barely having time to block after summoning a shadow clone to battle his water clone, Sakura could almost feel the bruise forming on her forearms as she blocked a kick to her face. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she had to leap out of the way from a downward kick from another one of his clones. Akira had hidden them around the mist and she wasn't sure if his true body was also hiding somewhere in the mist like Zabuza.

* * *

A devastating hit to her abdomen sent Sakura flying back. When she hit the ground the breath in her lungs left her and she gasped for oxygen. She was bleeding from cuts on her forehead, arms, and legs and she was sure that the last kick cracked a rib.

Sakura was exhausted, her body battered, and her spirit breaking. How far was she willing to go for her mission?

With only her taijutsu and intelligence, Sakura was nearing the end of her rope. At one point she had even been saved by Kakashi, who left his fight with Zabuza to protect her. If she had even contemplated showing her ninjutsu, she wasn't anymore. It was clear that even while fighting a formidable opponent like Zabuza, Kakashi was still keeping tabs on them, ensuring that they were okay. With Kakashi's Sharingan, Sakura couldn't be sure that he wouldn't see her perform hand signs or attack with her ninjutsu even with the mist. Since she had been playing it safe in Konoha, there was no logical explanation for her knowledge in water based attacks.

Sakura had finally gotten the trust from Naruto, she couldn't jeopardize it. Panting from the exertion, Sakura tried to think of a plan. But her thoughts kept turning back to Pein.

_I'm sorry Pein-sama. I can't just watch from the shadows anymore. I'm a kunoichi! I want to fight. I **can **fight. And I refuse to die here! _

Her only hope in getting out of the fight alive was to draw the Shinobi away from the others and especially from Tazuna. So when Akira attacked again, she allowed him to take her over the side of the bridge and to the water below. With her hands holding on to him, she forced him down with her until she could safely fling herself away and land on her feet. Sakura had heard Tazuna and Kakashi call for her and though she didn't know if the Akira in front of her was real, she was assuming he would want to finish the fight with her before completing his assassination attempt. She saw Akira land on the surface of the water on his feet even through the natural fog of Nami no Kuni.

"Big mistake Sakura-chan." She hated that he was condescending and arrogant, completely different from the sparring partners she was used to. But his condescension had made it clear that he wasn't a clone. He had been playing with her before but now she wasn't playing anymore. Increasing the speed of her hand signs, Sakura created water clones to attack instead of shadow clones. Staying back to prepare for an additional attack, Sakura's green eyes hardened with her resolve.

While Akira was busy with her clones, she released five pressurized water tornados. "Consider yourself lucky. Suiton. Suigadan!" The water fang bullet attack caught him off guard more than her clones and hit him from all around as her clones disappeared.

Once the spinning water dissipated, Akira fell to the surface of the water with possible internal injuries. "You. How do you know that attack?" He demanded. Sakura didn't even bother with an answer.

Increasing her speed once again, Sakura appeared behind him almost instantly. "I am Haruno Sakura." He lunged away from her but she had already completed her next hand signs and used one of the few techniques Kisame had taught her. "Suiton. Suikodan no jutsu." Thrusting her hand forward, Sakura sent a shark made of water attack from below. The high impact attack hit the weakened Shinobi, sending him hurling backwards. Akira fell into the water, his body drifting down, no bubbles appeared. Low on chakra and her body battered, Sakura sighed in relief. It had been too close for her liking but she was glad. She had gotten over her automatic response to flee from a real fight.

Suddenly, the presence of an immense and dark chakra sent a shudder through her. Afraid that there might be another enemy, Sakura used the remainder of her chakra and energy to vault herself up to the bridge. Once she landed, her eyes widened in horror at what Naruto had become. His viscous chakra was not only full of killing intent but was also visible. It had to be the power of the kyubbi, Sakura thought.

Stunned, she watched as Naruto knocked Haku back with a single punch. She had been about to seek out Tazuna when Naruto's yelling stopped her. She was close enough to hear them even though she wasn't able to see them clearly. As Sakura listened to Haku's story about losing her parents and being found by Zabuza, Sakura couldn't help but relate it to her own life. Haku had decided to stay with Zabuza even after he knew the Shinobi was a criminal. Haku was not only loyal, but he willingly became a tool for Zabuza.

Sakura fell to a knee, breathing heavily and frowned. She didn't think she used up so much chakra. It had to have been from the lack of real training and the beating she had taken earlier. Right before passing out, Sakura admitted to herself and she and Haku were no different. Unable to fight her exhaustion, Sakura fell to the ground, unconscious and completely vulnerable.

* * *

When she awoke the next day, Sakura was disappointed to discover both Kakashi and Sasuke had healed from their injuries and were ready to head back to Konoha. After saying their goodbyes and making sure the villagers were well, Team 7 went back on the road. Just as Sakura expected, she had missed her opportunity and there was no telling when another would appear. However, Naruto seemed to trust her and she had befriended him.

Even though his loud, boisterous attitude was sometimes annoying and caused her to hit him on the head or the back, he was loyal. Whenever he got into a verbal fight with Sasuke, Naruto would always ask if she was on his side. Not wanting to be too obvious in front of someone as prolific and intelligent as Kakashi, Sakura would give her honest opinion. That Naruto was too hotheaded and was no match for Sasuke yet.

During the trip back to Konoha, Kakashi had surprised her with his unexpected praise at their actions. "The three of you did very well. It would have officially have been a B or A rank mission." The silver haired Jounin's visible eye creased in what Sakura took to mean a smile. "To return successfully with no severe injuries and no casualties is an impressive feat."

Having gone so long without praise or encouragement, Sakura's spirits brightened considerably. She soaked it up and while doing so, if even a little, Sakura grew increasingly comfortable in Kakashi's presence.

Two months after their mission in Nami no Kuni, Team 7 returned to their training and low level missions which meant Sakura once again had no progress on her real mission. She should have been growing increasingly frustrated; instead Sakura began to grow complacent. The pink haired kunoichi was already starting to respect Kakashi as a teacher and mentor but she was also starting to see Naruto and Sasuke as her teammates. The banter and fighting the two always got into, calling each other names and placing her in the middle was oddly enjoyable because she was the only one who got to see them that way. She was even, dare she admit it, getting used to Kakashi's odd behavior and habitual tardiness.

During Sakura's stay with the Akatsuki, she hadn't been able to make friends with others her age. Once she relaxed about her mission, she began to enjoy life in Konoha. There were still those who distrusted her and hated her but being in a real team and looking out for one another made Sakura feel as though she belonged somewhere. Even if her two male teammates fought constantly, they were still a team.

Sakura began to wonder why Pein had sent her to Konoha. Kidnapping Naruto was nearly impossible and there was no reason for her to be the one to do it. The other members could easily overpower the young boy and take him from the village. Naruto lived alone, they could have slipped in while he was asleep and Sasori could have given them a drug of some sort. She also hadn't had contact with the Akatsuki or the informant in months. Sakura wondered if she was ever going back to the Akatsuki. Was this their way of leaving her? Abandoning her?

For the first time in her life since she joined the Akatsuki and saw them as her family, Sakura began to doubt them. And as her doubt increased, so did her dangerous feelings towards Konoha.

* * *

When Kakashi informed them he had recommended them for the Chunin exams, Sakura had been floored. Even before the exam could even start, Sasuke had gotten into a fight with Rock Lee. Sakura noticed that unlike Itachi, who possessed a fully mature Sharingan, Sasuke only had two tomoe which meant that he was no match for his older brother.

As soon as Team 7 entered the testing area, the other rookies from their year appeared to greet them. Sakura had kept to herself, instead using the time to look around the room and gauge her opponents. Many of them were a few years older than her and she recognized the sand ninjas they had encountered recently. Overall, the others in the room were fairly interesting. She could only guess what their skill sets would be like compared to hers. For the first time, Sakura was looking forward to fighting as she could show off a little bit more without Kakashi around.

"Hey, you guys." Sakura's analysis of the genin was interrupted by a voice that oddly sounded familiar. When she looked towards the source of the sound, she stiffened. A look of horror briefly flashed across her features. "You should quiet down a little."

_Ka…Kabuto-nii. _ Sakura took a small step forward, as if to meet him but remembered her place and stopped her movement. How long had it been since she saw him? He looked no different from the last time.

Not even acknowledging her presence within the small group gathered at the entrance, he continued to approach them. "So you're the nine rookies that just graduated from the academy, correct?" His gaze stopped at her and she could swear he smiled just a little. "You're all fooling around with those cute faces. Geez, this isn't a field trip." The jab at their cute faces sent a pang to her heart. It had been directed at her, Kabuto did recognize her. Sakura didn't know why he was at the examination or if he had been in Konoha the entire time.

Her heart rate sped up at the thought of what could go wrong. Just the prospect of being near him sent a cold chill up her spine. "Who are you to tell us that?!" Ino's outburst saved Sakura from completely breaking down in front of everyone.

"I am yakushi Kabuto. Look around you…" Everyone but Sakura began to look around. She chose instead to stare at Kabuto, a man she once thought of as a brother. He smiled back at her, knowing the turmoil she felt. "The ones behind you are from Amegakure. They have a short temper." As if to talk about Pein and Konan. Sakura was starting to pick up on his coded messages to her.

"Everyone is tense since it's right before the exam. I warned you so that you won't get picked on. I guess it can't be helped though, since you are just rookies who don't know anything. It makes me remember the old me." Again, he made fun of her inability to do anything, and her ignorance. The last part was obviously directed towards her again, mentioning a time when he was a part of the Akatsuki.

"…Kabuto-san, was it?" Sakura asked, wanting to know how long he had been in Konoha.

"Yeah." There was an absence of warmth even though he smiled at her. Sakura could only guess it was from the change in the way she addressed him.

"Is this your second time, then?"

"No. It's my seventh. This exam only takes place twice every year, and it's my fourth year." Did that mean Kabuto had been in Konoha since his departure from the Akatsuki? Was he still with Orochimaru? Sakura wanted to question him, to find out if he truly was against her and the organization that was like a family. Her eyes stung from holding back tears. More than all the worry and feelings of betrayal, Sakura was happy to see him again. She wanted to show him her new techniques like the old times.

* * *

Sakura watched as the giant snake began to wrap its way around the trunk of the tree in pursuit of Sasuke. Whoever was attacking them had a specific target. Sakura had a mounting suspicion she knew who it was but she couldn't shake off the terror of his killing intent. Orochimaru must be after Sasuke's Sharingan, just like when he was after Itachi. Everything played out before her and though Sakura no longer wanted to flee and saw the pointlessness of doing so, she couldn't bring herself to go up against someone she knew was leagues stronger than her.

Once Sasuke unleashed his Sharingan, Sakura rushed over to Naruto to make sure the boy was still alive. She let out a breath of relief when she realized he was just unconscious. Getting him down from the unnatural angle he was in, she laid him atop a branch and checked his vitals and snuck a peak at the seal on his abdomen. Orochimaru had done something. She was unsure if it was going to interfere with what Pein had planned for him.

Her attention shot back to the fight still going on and when it appeared Sasuke had beaten Orochimaru, she was skeptical. Leaving Naruto, she rushed down to see Sasuke and watched in horror as Orochimaru's false face began to melt off of him and his voice changed to the creepy tone she remembered. "I'm impressed that you can use your Sharingan so well at your age. You live up to the name Uchiha. I want you after all. You two are definitely brothers. Your eyes say that you carry more potential than Itachi."

"Who are you?!" Sasuke yelled.

"My name is Orochimaru." He said as he burned their scroll. "If you wish to see me again, get through this Exam as if your life depended on it. In other words, you'll have to defeat my subordinates, the three Sound ninja."

Her earlier fears had been right. Orochimaru was after Sasuke for the Sharingan. Standing unsteadily, Sakura readied herself to fight. There was no option left and she couldn't allow Orochimaru to get what he wanted. Even if it meant her life, Sakura had to protect Sasuke. Biting her thumb to draw blood, she performed the hand signs for a summoning jutsu but before she could muster enough chakra, Orochimaru performed a jutsu of his own which elongated his neck. Sakura abandoned her summoning jutus and tried to get between them and attack the exposed limb but she was too slow for him.

Sakura pushed Sasuke behind her, causing him to smack his back against the trunk of a nearby tree. He fell to a lower branch.

"A nuisance as always, Sakura-chan."

"Orochimaru, you won't get away with this." Orochimaru retracted his neck and grinned creepily at her, enough to send another cold shiver down her spine and almost root her in place with his paralysis and killing intent.

"Do you plan on stopping me?"

"Yes." Resolved, Sakura performed the hand signs for a grand fireball and released her attack. Jumping down to get Sasuke, she pushed him to start retreating. Taking them to the branch she left Naruto on, Sakura grabbed the unconscious boy and slung his arm around her shoulder. Sasuke did the same on the other side of Naruto.

But before they could take another step, Orochimaru appeared before them. Sakura released her hold on Naruto and attempted her summoning jutsu once again, her only option against a stronger opponent but Orochimaru managed to snake past her in order to bite Sasuke's exposed shoulder.

Both of her teammates fell, Naruto face first and Sasuke to his knees with a scream of pain. Before she could do anything else, Orochimaru disappeared.

Sakura attempted to heal him but there was nothing to heal. Orochimaru had left a mark on Sasuke that she didn't know how to break. Getting both boys to a safe place, Sakura fortified their hideout before healing the injuries Naruto had sustained. But even after she did so, neither of them awoke nor regained consciousness.

Orochimaru had warned them that sound nins were going to attack. But he had called them his subordinates. He could have any number of allies within the genin including Kabuto which meant Orochimaru had successfully infiltrated both Konoha and perhaps even Otogakure. She wondered how far his plans went and whether Sasuke was the only one that he was after. When Naruto had fought, he unlocked a part of the Kyuubi, Orochimaru was interested in anything that would give him more power. It was likely that he was also after Naruto.

Unable to rest and leave them completely defenseless, Sakura stayed up the entire night in order to watch over her teammates, fighting both sleep and fatigue. Keeping her guard up, Sakura began to think of what she planned to do next.

Her mission was to lure Naruto to the Akatsuki. She didn't know what they planned for him. Sakura was very much like Haku, a pawn and a tool for the Akatsuki. Even if she stayed in Konoha, she would be a tool for those stronger than her. The mission that Pein had given her was nearly impossible and he had told her that it was okay if she failed. He had even told her in the beginning that the mission wasn't that difficult. Though she was tired, her mind worked to solve the puzzle.

If she looked under the underneath as Kakashi tried to teach her…the real purpose of her mission was…Her train of thought was interrupted by the presence of intruders. Sakura stood up abruptly and left the small cave and was met by the three sound nin who attacked Kabuto before the written exam. Sakura wondered if that had been a show or if they were simply so far out of the loop that they didn't realize they were being manipulated by Orochimaru. She would bet on the latter.

The leader of the team addressed her, a few yards away from the entrance to the cave. "Can you wake up Sasuke-kun? We want to fight him."

"We know that Orochimaru is behind all of this. If you don't want to risk your life for that monster, leave now."

"I too wonder what that person is thinking." He answered, obviously not taking her suggestion.

"But now that we heard that, we can't ignore it. I'll kill this girl, too. I'll even kill the Sasuke guy." The other boy said. Sakura studied the three of them carefully. She couldn't do this alone. Her summoning jutsu took too much of her but it was the only way to make the fight fairer. She couldn't take them all on _and _protect Sasuke.

They charged her and Sakura immediately gathered her chakra and reopened the wound on her thumb. But again, she was interrupted, this time by a friendly face.

"Konoha whirlwind." Rock Lee appeared just in time and startled the three sound nin enough to hit them all, knocking them back. Sakura stepped up next to him.

"Lee-san. Thank you."

"Who are you?" The Dozu asked.

"Konoha's beautiful blue beast, Rock Lee!" Lee looked at her and his next words left her speechless. "When you are in danger, I will appear at any time. I told you before that I will protect you to the death. Because you mean everything to me, Sakura-san. For helping me to never give up in my dream."

Sakura didn't know how to respond, especially since she had turned him down.

"Sakura-san, you're not fit to fight." The pink haired Kunoichi looked down at herself and saw her haphazard appearance.

"I'm sorry Lee-san but I can't allow you to fight all three of them by yourself."

Without warning, Dosu handed off their blue scroll and attacked. She was surprised by Lee who used his strength and nothing else to pull a giant root up from the ground in order to block Dosu's attack.

"Your attack has some sort of trick to it, right? I won't dodge it in a normal way. I saw your move before." Besides her, Lee began to undo the bandages on his arms. "I will protect you with everything I have!" Faster than any of the genin she knew, Lee attacked Dosu and sent him flying into the air. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw the other boy, Zaku push his hands into the earth. As fast as she could, Sakura released her grand fireball which Zaku had to either avoid or be swallowed up by. A second later, Dosu hit the ground, leaving a crater as his lower body slumped over his upper body which was submerged in the dirt.

Zaku who was still in the air after dodging her attack yelled for his teammate, who seemed to be down for the count. Leaving the fight two versus two. Sakura's attack burned the trees and bushes around the remaining sound nin before slowly disappearing, leaving smoke and the smell of burnt wood behind.

_Naruto…Sasuke…Lee…they protect me because they think I'm weak…but I'm not weak. Pein-sama…you don't have to protect me anymore! The things you wanted to teach me during this mission…the tests that you're putting me through…I know what you want from me. I will become your Shinobi! I, Haruno Sakura will never watch from the sidelines again!_

"Lee-san, please don't tell anyone. Get ready Otogakure-nin! I'm going to show you what Haruno Sakura can really do."

* * *

**A/N: once again, I'm sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please don't forget to review! It gives me more ideas. Also, as you can see Kabuto is back and I rushed a few things so that it doesn't become too redundant with the manga/anime. And I've decided a tag team with Lee would be awesome! And with Sakura's continued resolve to fight, I figure she wouldn't just leave Lee to fend for himself. As such, her badassery has been sped up a little and she's more comfortable fighting. But as always, Sakura is more of a thinker than a fighter which is why she takes long moments of inactivity to really figure the situation out as with Orochimaru and she knows what he can do so she's more reluctant to fight him. I can't say any more but feel free to ask questions or point out my mistakes/what I overlook. **


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